The Illusionist
by Keyblade Ninja 21
Summary: Kiyoko Kurama is one of the two remaining members of the Kurama clan. When her parents move to the Hidden Leaf Village to become Leaf Jonin, Kiyoko feels a bit out of place. She's fascinated by the village and the people there, but when she's being followed by weird men in masks almost everywhere she goes, she wonders if something is going on. Are they after her? Surely not...
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone. This is my first Naruto fanfic so I hope you like it. I randomly got this idea while catching up on some episodes I've missed. Anyway, like everyone else says, please (PLEASE) review. Whether it's good or bad (but don't be too cruel). If there's any spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes, my bad. Anyway, I know you're not here for me, but for the story so here ya go...

Prologue:

A slight breeze blew through the cemetery, rustling the fallen leaves on the ground. Trees waved sadly, casting moving shadows along the grass. Two teenage boys stood in front of a gravestone, trying their best not to cry. A shinobi wasn't supposed to cry after all. However, they were taught that you were allowed to mourn lost friends and comrades. And the woman's grave they were at was so much more to them than just a friend or comrade.

"What are we going to do?" one of them asked, looking down at the simple gravestone.

"We live on. For us, and her," the other one replied, as the breeze picked up, and rays of sun peaked through the few clouds in the sky.

Chapter 1: A New Village

We were running through the woods. The only source of light was the full moon that was shining like a imitation sun. Dark shadows lurked around each tree, each one potentially sinister and deadly.

My mother led my father and I through the trees, on some invisible trail that I didn't know. My mother had short, black hair that was all one length. She wore a simple vest over her chest, and only a kunai pouch on her right leg. Her clothing, much like her hair, was black. She was almost invisible in the night. My father had short light brown hair that curled at the ends right above his shoulders. His outfit consisted of dark grey pants, and jacket to match. Underneath he wore a skin tight white tank, with small handheld blade holders strapped to his chest.

My medium length dark brown hair flowed behind me, tangling into knots I know were going to be a pain to get out. I wore fitted, skin tight pants, and light black boots that went up to my ankles. A simple black tank top was all I wore to cover my torso. We weren't allowed to wear anything light colored. Being stealthy and wearing bright colors didn't mix well. Plus, if I had wore anything else, my mother would've had a total fit. I feared for my life sometimes if she went into a rage, and not in a comical way. I had been on the receiving end of her fists enough times to know I should just obey without question. And if my father joined in… I shudder to remember the times.

My parents were jonin level ninjas, while I was still technically a genin. Truthfully, I was much stronger than that, and was probably closer to jonin level. My parents allowed nothing less than perfection.

Suddenly, my mother motioned for us to stop and stay completely still.

_What did she see? _I wondered, silently catching my breath. We had been running for quite a while, my legs were tired.

After a moment I could feel my mother cast a genjustu on the area, using her kekkei genkai. A small shudder went through me, and for a quick second I was glad it wasn't me being on the receiving end. My hope turned to fear when my mother turned to me and shot off like a bat out of hell at me. Fear locked my legs, lungs sucking in a breath of air that clogged in my throat.

_What the hell did I do? _I wondered desperately.

My mother shot past me, kunai in hand, and then I heard a muffled yell from someone behind me. Looking behind me quickly, I saw two ninja falling to the forest ground. I couldn't see a headband from any village on them as they fell.

"Kiyoko," my mother said to me, jumping back up to my branch I was still on. Before I could respond, my left side of my face was stinging as my head was whipped sideways. She had slapped me. "You should've sensed those ninja behind you. Next time, I'll let them kill you. If you can't even sense the enemy, then you're useless." Then she jumped back up near my father, and continued on the path.

"Yes, mother," I whispered as I jumped forward to follow them, holding my cheek.

We arrived at a large round wall surrounding a village. The entry way was huge, large enough for a crowd of people to fit through at one time. The village light twinkled in the dark, and street lamps shone down in cones of light. Some people bustled through the streets, although since it was so late, most people were probably home and in bed. I wished I was one of those people.

Two ninja in creepy looking masks appeared in front of us. Both were tall and had on black clothing with their green vests covering their chest. They wore tall boots, and pieces of their hair stood out from their masks.

"State your business." One of them said in a no nonsense tone of voice. I couldn't tell which said it because of those masks. There was something eerie and unsettling about them. But oddly, I was intrigued by them: I had never seen such a thing before.

"We are here to speak with the Hokage. We have an appointment in just a few minutes. We just arrived," my father responded, mimicking their business-like tone of voice.

I just stood there, looking around at the village. I hadn't seen a big village like this in quite a long time. Plus, all villages were different. My mother caught me looking around my father's back to look down the street at the people gathering their shop equipment inside. She shot me a look saying "straighten up or else" and promised punishment if I didn't comply. Quickly, I straightened my back and looked straight ahead, still wondering about the village.

After the two men in masks shared a look, they nodded. "Follow me," one of them said. I guessed it was the man on the right, because he started walking deeper into the village. The other one trailed behind us, keeping silent.

Were they supposed to be creepy? I wondered. If they were, they definitely succeeded.

We walked down a street that appeared to be lined with stores and restaurants, but most of them were already closed and dark inside, or they were in the process of closing. After a few more streets, I spotted a stall that was still open. Small white flags hung from a rod in the entryway. You could see a few stools underneath the flags. I could tell one kid in an orange jumpsuit was sitting there alone. Whatever they cooked in there smelled delicious, making my stomach threaten to grumble. I tried not to think about food, it had been a while since we last ate and if my stomach growled, my parents wouldn't like it.

After a few more turns and twists in the streets, we arrived at a large wall that stood in front of a huge red building that looked round. One of the masked men opened the large gate and motioned for us to follow. The man behind us closed it as we passed through. After walking up a winding set of stairs outside, we entered the building and were led down a couple dark hallways. I secretly wondered if they were taking a longer route to the Hokage, because the walk here was taking longer than I would've thought.

After arriving at a door, the man in front told us to wait where we were while he knocked on the door. A voice called "Come in" and he entered shutting the door behind him.

I kept my head down, trying not to draw attention to myself as we stood there. I could tell my parents were a bit tense, as to why I didn't know, and I could tell that they were trying to observe the man that was left behind us without being blatant about it.

A minute of utter silence filled the time as we waited for the man to come back out of the Hokage's office. The man came out and held the door open as the same voice as before called for us to enter. It was a woman's voice, one that seemed to carry authority. My parents nodded to the man by the door and we entered the Hokage's office.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! Hope you're having a good day. As always, please leave a review if you'd like. If you don't want to leave a review you can always message me and tell me if you liked it, I know some people don't like posting stuff for everyone to see. Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 2: The Hokage

"Hello," the Hokage greeted.

I was taken by surprise that the Hokage was a woman. She had long blonde hair and wore a green cloak over her clothing. She was thin but busty, and was watching us through suspicious eyes. There was a woman next to her with short dark hair, and for some reason, she was holding a small pig in her arms.

"Hello, Lady Hokage," my mother managed to introduce herself first. All three of us bowed out of respect, and straightened back up. "My name is Ayano Kurama, of the Kurama clan. This is my husband Rokuro, and my daughter Kiyoko," my mother introduced us formally.

The Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly, and her eyebrows pulled down in thought. "Kurama clan… Weren't they the ones who died off not too long ago?" she asked the lady next to her.

"Yes, M' Lady. The Kurama Clan used to hold great influence in the Land of Fire, but in recent years, their clan started to lose their influence due to the loss of the kekkei genkai through the new generations. I didn't think the Kurama clan existed anymore," the woman replied. She seemed very intelligent.

"I see," the Hokage said thoughtfully. Then she focused on mom. "If you are a part of the Kurama clan, do you possess the kekkei genkai?" she asked.

"Yes, Lady Hokage. Myself and my daughter are the last two remaining of the clan with the kekkei genkai," my mother told her. She seemed proud of the fact. Personally, I didn't see what was so special about our kekkei genkai. It was basically a really advanced and intense version of genjutsu. My mother had found little ways to modify it to make it our own form, but I had seen enough ninja out there with plenty of special talents.

"I see," Lady Hokage replied. "And what business do you have here with me?" she asked, holding her hands together in front of her mouth as she leaned forward.

My father spoke up next. "We would like to become ANBU shinobi for your village. Our previous village was small and is destroyed now. We had heard of the strength of the Hidden Leaf's military strength, and we wanted to lend our abilities to you," my father explained respectfully.

The Hokage stared at both of my parents. They were both standing straight and they almost seemed nervous. Or anxious maybe. Suddenly, the Hokage's eyes were trained on me. Eyes wide, I tried to maintain eye contact with her, but I couldn't. My eyes kept darting around after a few seconds. Why would she be staring at me? I was just a child. At only 10 years old, I couldn't figure out why she would want to look at me. My parents were the one trying to become Leaf shinobi. Somehow, I slowly started to feel nervous. Her stare was very intense, almost as if she were looking into my soul. My hands absently started to grip the edge of my tank top.

"Very well," she said to my parents finally. "You will have to be put through training and simulations to see if you can meet our skill qualifications for the ANBU rank. And what of your daughter?"

I listened a bit more intently at that. My parents hadn't told me what I would be doing here. I just assumed I'd stay at home by myself all day, doing the chores and the shopping. Just trying to stay out of the way and under the radar. I didn't like to be around a lot of people at a time. The only time I usually had any attention directly focused on me was from my parents, and I tried to avoid that no matter what.

"If you would allow it, we would like for her to enter your ninja academy," my mother spoke up.

My eyes widened as I looked at her quickly. Ninja academy?! I was nearly as strong as my parents, if not at their level. There's no way I wouldn't stand out like a sore thumb in a ninja academy for children! I may be a child, but I had never been around anyone my age. I was never allowed. I didn't really know how to communicate with other people in general. My mother noticed my look of surprise, and shot me a glare that told me to keep my mouth shut.

The Hokage looked at me again, a little less intense this time, and then she spoke quietly to the woman next to her. After a few sentences were exchanged, she looked back at us. "Alright. Kiyoko can join the academy and we will see at what level class she needs to be in. We can do that tomorrow as the week starts, if that suits you."

"Thank you, Lady Hokage," my parents said together, bowing a little. Out of respect I bowed too.

"Good," the Hokage said standing up, hands on her desk. "I will have the necessary papers and meetings set up tomorrow morning. The two ANBU here will lead you to a hotel you can stay at until we can find you another place to stay."

"Thank you Lady Hokage," my parents said again.

She walked around and headed out of the room, the other woman following her. After saying goodnight, the two masked men told us to follow them out of the building. They lead us through the now darkened streets, only lit by the moon, until we arrived at a hotel for us to stay at for the night. The ANBU spoke to the lady near the desk running the business and settled everything we needed for the night. After escorting us to our room and making sure we were alright for the night, the two men in masks vanished, leaving us alone in the hotel room.

* * *

"What do you think, Haru?" Tsunade asked the ANBU shinobi. She was standing on the top of the Hokage building, watching as the village turned dark as everyone went to sleep.

"I don't know Lady Tsunade. They seem polite enough, but we should be suspiscious nonetheless," the ANBU replied, kneeling behind her.

"Yes, definitely keep a very close eye on them for some time. We are at odds with some of the neighboring villages and lands, we cannot allow anything unfortunate to happen here," Tsunade said. "You're dismissed."

She vaguely heard the slight rustling noise that came from the ninja disappearing, her thoughts already leading her to other places in her mind. Sometimes she felt the lingering doubts weighing on her mind. _What if she couldn't be a good leader to these people? What if she couldn't protect them if something happened? _ But she couldn't afford to think like that. She _would _become a good Hokage for these people. She _would _ protect these people, no, _her _ people now, from anything. She may not be able to measure up to the Fourth Hokage, or even the Third in some areas, but she had her own talents they did not. And she would make sure nothing ruined the peace in her village.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, again! Hope you're liking it so far. Anyway, please leave a review if you feel the urge come over you. If there are any typos or mistakes please let me know. I can usually catch them, but mistakes do happen. Anyway, here it is. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Odd Experiences and an Odd Girl

"Everyone say hello to Kiyoko," the man next to me said, pushing me a step forward in front of all the kids in the classroom. I think he said his name was Iruka. He had his brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and a thin scar across his nose. He seemed really kind. "She's going to be our new student."

A chorus of hello's and hi's rang throughout the room. I stood there shifting my weight from foot to foot nervously. After a more than awkward wave from me, Iruka sensei told me to take a seat near the back of the room. Some of the students stared at me as I passed by while some couldn't care less. After I sat down in a seat, Iruka sensei began his lessons for the day. They were fundamental lessons, such as the basic tools of a shinobi, like shuriken and kunai. Some of the lesson was over chakra or something but I zoned out, looking out the window.

_"Now listen Kiyoko, when you go to school, you are to blend in with the other children. We do not need unwanted attention right now. Just go to the classes, do what you're expected to, and be quiet," my father told me sternly. The ANBU had just disappeared and we were getting ready for bed in the hotel._

_ "And do not, under any circumstance, use your kekkei genkai in front of anyone!" My mother demanded of me. After that they walked into their own room to sleep, leaving me alone and confused in the dark room._

"Kiyoko, can you tell us the answer to the question on the board please?" Iruka sensei's voice called, pulling me from my thoughts. Looking around at the students now staring at me, I nodded and stood, looking at the board. I took a deep breath and answered the question, wondering how I was supposed to "blend in" with these kids.

* * *

"You're name is Kiyoko right?" a voice asked suddenly.

The class day was over and I was getting my notebook that Iruka sensei had given me before class started. I looked over at the voice. The girl was standing to my left with her arms on her hips. She had short pale blonde hair that was layered. Dark brown eyes peaked from behind her bangs that hung into her eyes. She wore a red half t-shirt with a white tank top underneath, with a pair of black capri pants.

"Yes," I told her while I pushed my chair in, avoiding eye contact.

"I'm Makoto Fukui," she said smiling, pushing her hand in my direction.

I flinched a little, thinking she was going to hit me or something. So when she just held her hand out to me, I was confused. What did she want me to do? Why did she just shove her hand near me? Was that normal behavior?

At my confusion, she huffed and shook her hand in the air at me. "You're supposed to shake it. It's how people greet each other. Jeez, where did you come from where you wouldn't know what a hand shake is?" she asked, shaking her head a bit. The questions seemed rhetorical, so I didn't respond. Instead, she grabbed my right hand and put it in hers, shaking them both up and down a couple times. After that she let go, putting her hands back on her hips.

Now I was even more confused. What was a hand shake, and why did I have to do it when meeting someone? Was there a weird reason I didn't know as to why she wanted to hold my hand? I had seen lovers hold hands, and parents holding their child's hand (something I got slapped for trying once), and I was neither to her. Nor did I want to be.

"You're kind of awkward aren't you?" she asked, leaning closer to me.

"Umm…" I managed to mumble, looking around for someone to give me clues as to what was happening. I had no idea, and I had never gotten to spend time with other children ever in my life. My parents never had any more children, so I was an only child. I had never been to school before, my parents trained me themselves.

The girl sighed and hung her head. After a second, she popped back up and looked at me. "Anyway, you and me are going to be friends starting now. I can tell you need someone to show you around and teach you the ropes around here. I might as well do it," she grinned at me.

"Ropes? What ropes?" I asked. This girl Makoto was giving me a headache. It was almost as if she were speaking her own language.

"Ugh," Makoto sighed dramatically. "There isn't any… Never mind. Anyway, let's get out of here." She started walking out of the room, and when she realized I wasn't following her, she stopped at the door. "Well, come on!"

I looked to my left and right. There was no escape or reason I could come up with not to follow her. And I had a feeling she would just follow me until I followed her around. So that's how I ended up following her through the whole school as she showed me around. She went on about which teachers were "cool" and which were real "sticks in the mud". I had no idea what being cold or having sticks in the mud had to do with teaching, but I was new to this village. Maybe they taught their young shinobi odd things.

She showed me where the different class rooms were for the different ages of kids, where the bathrooms were, where the library was, basically every square inch of the entire academy.

"So what do you think so far? Lost yet?" she asked, rounding a corner.

I shook my head no. I had a very good memory, and the layout of the academy wasn't that complicated.

"Good. Here's the training grounds. There's areas for practicing throwing kunai, and an area to run laps to exercise. We'll have some physical training tomorrow. Today was the day for lessons, and tomorrow we practice what we learned today," she explained.

I nodded and remained silent, going over all the information in my head.

We were both walking forward, but she turned around to look at me as she took slow steps backwards. "You don't talk much do you?" she asked suddenly.

I shook my head. After years with my parents, I learned quickly that silence was usually the best option. Makoto hung her head again as she walked, then she turned back around to walk normally. Once we reached the end of the Makoto tour, we were in front of the building.

"I'm going to break you out of that shell of yours you know," she commented as we stood in front of the doors to the academy. "No one is always that quiet, one day I'll have you talking my ear off and everything. Just you wait!" she declared looking at me. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. I gotta get home and help my mom with dinner. See ya!" she shouted as she ran down the street.

Eyes wide, I watched after her. She was… quite the odd person. I wasn't quite sure what word described her exactly. I wasn't sure there was a word for it at the time. All that was running through my mind was "What shell is she talking about? I wasn't a turtle, I didn't have a shell."

* * *

My parents were home when I returned to the hotel room. After kicking off my shoes and setting my notebook on a little stand near the door, I walked into the main part of the room.

They were huddled together, talking quietly, but when I walked up they stopped talking and straightened up. "Kiyoko, how was your first day at the academy?" my father asked. The question wasn't trying to figure out how my first day went. It was to make sure I hadn't made a spectacle of myself yet.

"It was… interesting. I don't know why I'm there, I'm far more advanced than anyone in the academy itself. Probably even some of the teachers," I told them honestly. I instantly regretted it when I saw their eyes narrow. My comment could sound rude.

"You're there because we told you to be there. You don't need an explanation other than that. Just do what you're told," my mother snapped at me.

I looked at the floor, "Yes Ma'am."

My parents headed for the front door. "We have to go and do some training exercises with the ANBU. You are on your own for dinner." Then they left, shutting me in the room where the silence echoed back at me.


	4. Chapter 4

Helloooo. Anyway, as per usual, please leave a review. Or message me and tell me what you think. Please! I would like to know if people actually want to read this story. Have a good day! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Being Followed

I walked down a few streets before I found the little shop I was looking for. I inhaled deeply, smelling the aroma surrounding the shop. The sign said "Ichiraku Ramen". After moving aside the little white cloths out of my way, a voice immediately spoke up. "Welcome to Ichiraku! Take a seat," an older man's voice called from behind the counter in front of me.

"Kiyoko?" another voice asked. It was Iruka sensei.

"Hello Iruka sensei," I smiled a little at him, taking a seat.

"Who's that Iruka sensei?" another voice asked. The boy had spikey blonde hair and wore an orange jumpsuit. It was the boy I had seen in passing on my first night here.

"Naruto this is Kiyoko, Kiyoko this is Naruto," Iruka introduced us. "Naruto is an old student of mine. And Kiyoko just moved here, she's in my class."

After that introduction, I ordered a bowl of ramen as Naruto recalled some of his earlier days at the academy. Apparently he was quite the troublemaker as a younger child in the academy. For some of his pranks he described, I looked at him in horror. Had I even thought to do some of the things he actually did, I would've been beaten into next week. Where was his parents? And why did they let him run rampant without doing anything?

Iruka sensei chuckled here and there, stating how much of a pain Naruto was. The affection in Iruka's voice as he talked about Naruto, despite all the bad things he did, shocked me. How could anyone find disobeying the rules funny or make it seem like they were good times? Maybe the village had a different standard of rules than my old village. Clearly they were a bit more lax with punishment as well.

The two continued to talk while they ate, while I listened. They seemed to almost forget I was there. Which was fine by me, I just wanted to eat my dinner. The ramen was very good, and the owner Teuchi was a very nice man. Often making sure everything I had gotten was alright and to my liking.

Iruka sensei and Naruto left before I did, telling the owner that they'd be back soon. After they left the restaurant was pretty quiet and peacefull. As I drank what was left in my bowl, I suddenly got the feeling I was being watched. I put my bowl down and slowly looked behind me. My eyes darted around, but other than watching people's legs walk past the restaurant, I couldn't see much.

"Thank you again, the food was great," I told the owner as I paid for my food. I had to use some of my savings from past missions to pay for dinner, but that was okay. It was better than asking my parents for money. Maybe I needed to get a job so I could have some extra money for food and some clothes. I only had on what I was wearing, and I couldn't wear that every day without the clothes getting worn out and gross.

"Thank you, come back soon!" Teuchi called after me as I walked away.

Like the previous night when we arrived, there were shops everywhere that were lit up, and people were walking around. Some people walked cuddled together, holding hands. Others walked with friends in groups, and some parents had their children with them. It was a nice atmosphere to be in. Everybody seemed to be mostly happy, and without a care in the world.

Suddenly, I got that feeling I was being watched again. Instead of looking behind me to see, I continued to walk down the streets filled with people, pretending to look at some of the shop's items they had on display. Quickly, as I rounded a corner, I created a clone to continue walking as I cast a genjutsu so my followers couldn't see the real me. Clone me walked down the street as I jumped up on one of the shop's roof. Eyes scanning the crowd and area around, I kept a bit behind my clone who was looking at different sales items on store shelves.

I was about to give up after five minutes when I saw a slight movement on the roof's ahead of me. Then I saw them. There were three ANBU shinobi, all in their unsettling masks, following behind clone me wherever I went. Even when clone me took a break to sit on a bench near the more living area of the village, the ANBU just sat in the shadows, waiting.

Why were they following me? What did they want, I wonder?

I stayed further back behind the ANBU as they followed "me" through the streets lined with houses and apartments. I was confident in my abilities to not be sensed by the ninjas. It was also part of the natural talent I had with genjutsu in general due to my kekkei genkai. If I wanted to, a ninja wouldn't even be able to sense me (unless I wanted them to) even if I were killing them. My kekkei genkai allowed for easy use of genjutsu. Creating ellaborate illusions was what I was good at. Ninjas caught in the genjustu cast with my kekkei genkai could potentially kill them if I wanted it to. They could believe whatever happened in the illusion to be as real as actual reality. Either for offense or defense, my kekkei genkai came in handy. Allowing me to hide in plain sight, or kill without putting myself in too much danger, if any at all. The jutsu also was extremely difficult to break, but not impossible if taught how to.

Clone me continued walking into the hotel room we had, and shut the door behind her. The ANBU stood on the roof for about three minutes before disappearing to wherever.

That was a bit suspicious. Why would they follow me home, to then leave after I got there? Were they escorting me secretly, making sure I was alright? Or were they following me for some other purpose?

These questions kept running through my mind as I walked into the hotel room. After releasing the clone, I took a shower, trying to clear my mind. I wouldn't magically come up with the answer, so I would wait. And now I knew for sure they were at least following me around sometimes, I could use that to my advantage. Then maybe I could figure this out.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey, everyone! Please review! I've been in a writing mood and some reviews would make me write like crazy, knowing what you guys are thinking about the story. If there are any grammatical errors, or spelling errors, my bad. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 5: Kunai Practice and "Blending In"

"Hey Kiyoko!" Makoto's voice called cheerily. She was standing in front of the academy. "I've been waiting for you, hurry up!"

It was too early to try and keep up with her… uniqueness at the moment. I hadn't gotten much sleep, and I kept trying to listen for my parents to return home. They never did. Not that I was surprised, sometimes they left me alone for a while at a time depending on whatever mission they were on.

"You look tired," Makoto commented, walking next to me in the halls.

I nodded, and she continued talking. She started to tell me about her little brother she had at home and all the stuff he liked to get into. He was only a baby. Then she started talking about her parents and her pet cat. I only vaguely listened, wondering why she felt the need to tell me all of this information. I nodded every once in a while to make it seem like I was listening intently. I wonder if I cast a genjutsu around me if that would tune her out?

As appealing as that option was, we had already arrived at the classroom. Makoto sat near the front of the class, so she kept walking as I took my seat in the back. Some students were already here, while some ran in the room trying not to be late. I just laid my head down and closed my eyes, listening to the people around me.

Finally, Iruka sensei came in. "Alright everyone, sit down. We're going to review what we learned yesterday real quick, then go outside to practice some kunai throwing."

The kids perked up at that. Everyone started to get restless as we reviewed our lessons from yesterday. I could tell they would much rather be outside than inside learning from a textbook. Even though it was just kunai training, I'd much rather be outside than cooped up in a room.

After about thirty minutes of reviewing, Iruka sensei lead us around the back of the building to the small area with targets creating a huge line in the dirt. We all gathered in a big semi-circle behind Iruka sensei.

"Alright," Iruka sensei said. "Who would like to go first?" He looked around at us.

"Oh, me!" Makoto said, her hand shooting into the air so fast she almost hit the kid next to her.

Iruka sensei laughed, and told her to go ahead. Makoto grabbed a kunai that was handed to her and took a stance, arm drawn back. She looked at the target for a minute, then she flung the kunai. It almost hit the center, but was off by a couple circles.

"Good job, Makoto. Keep practicing and you'll be hitting the bulls-eye in no time!" Iruka sensei encouraged. Makoto beamed happily as she walked back to the crowd. She squirmed her way back to me, and smiled at me. Iruka sensei picked some other students at random, and they took their turns. Some came close to the center, others hit near the outer part of the target, and a couple missed the target completely. Iruka sensei gave each of them tips and encouragement, telling them to practice in any spare time they had.

"Kiyoko, would you like to try?" Iruka sensei asked suddenly.

I looked at him, surprised he called me. I was desperately hoping he'd skip right over me. I usually had a natural talent at blending in (whether it was because I was good with illusions, I didn't know), but I was pretty good at being invisible, and I liked it that way. So I didn't necessarily want to demonstrate what these academy students were trying to do.

"Sure she does!" Makoto smiled at me, pushing me towards the front of the class next to Iruka sensei. I shot her a look backwards, hopefully relaying my agitation at her action. She just smiled and gave me a thumbs up. I shook my head at her, if that was how friends treated each other, I didn't want one.

"Go on, Kiyoko," Sensei encouraged, handing me a kunai.

I took the kunai, while I started to think. Considering most of the students hit around the target, I would do that. "Blending in" as my parents told me to. I guess I could almost miss the target, but I hated to be worse than I was. I may not like to be in the spotlight, but I didn't like failure either. As I mentally rambled on about what to do, I gripped the kunai and threw it quickly. The kunai stuck into the outer line in the center and the next circle.

Sensei patted me on the back, telling me I did a very good job and sent me back to the other students. As I was walking back, I saw a quick movement on the roof of one of the nearby villages. Was it the ANBU again?

Pretending I didn't see, I just stood there with Makoto while the rest of class took their turns. I seriously couldn't come up with a reason as to why they'd follow me. I was just a child, even if I was probably as strong as any adult. But they didn't know that. Did they suspect me of being stronger? They had no evidence for that theory. Or maybe they were just making sure I wasn't a threat to the village? I was a newcomer to the village after all. Maybe they were afraid of espionage or something.

After kunai training, Iruka sensei took us to a small track where we had to run laps for a while. The physical exercise was nice. I kept at a steady pace like most of the kids. A few of them ran faster than the rest of them. Makoto was one of those kids. She would sprint so many feet, then slow down again. I was impressed, I hadn't expected her to be quick. I could tell she was holding back too.

* * *

Once we ran for so long, Iruka sensei let us go and sit back in the class room. The rest of the day consisted of going over the clone jutsu and Iruka sensei giving us our homework for the night.

I got up and snuck out once class was over before Makoto could ambush me again. I didn't make it far, however, until she zoomed past me and skid to a stop in front of me. "Kiyoko, are you trying to ditch me?" she asked, pretending to be insulted. "Well, if you are, you should know that I'm quite fast. It's nearly impossible to lose me," she boasted, walking next to me. I sighed and continued walking, shaking my head at her. She seemed perfectly alright with continuing the conversation with little responses from me. Part of me thought she was way too out there for me, I was a quiet person, but part of me envied her a little.

"Anyway, so what are you doing later on?" she asked me. We were walking through the streets beyond the school. I could smell some of the restaurants cooking, they smelled delicious. My stomach growled a bit.

I shrugged. "Nothing." I wondered if my parents were home or not.

"Great! Do you want to come over for dinner tonight? My father is an excellent cook!" Makoto asked me, still smiling at me. She looked so hopeful.

"No, thank you," I answered. My parents wouldn't like it. I almost felt bad as I saw her deflate a little bit.

"Parents won't let you?" she asked being almost serious. I nodded. "I understand that. My home is this way, so I'll see ya tomorrow at school!" She waved at me as she ran around the corner.


	6. Chapter 6

Yo! Like always, please leave a review. I'm not going to make you, obviously I have no way to do that, but it would help! If the story seems slow, I'm sorry. It does pick up. I always feel like it's slow and boring. But things have to be put into place first. Here you are, chapter 6. Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Deliveries

My parents weren't home when I got home. I wasn't too surprised. I set my school stuff in my temporary bedroom. After looking around, I sat down and practiced my kekkei genkai. Even though it was a very strong jutsu, it required lots of practice and extreme precise chakra control. The jutsu used chakra like a fire burned through oxygen, quickly and harshly. It took a lot of physical and mental exertion to control it. After about twenty minutes of fluctuating how far and close the jutsu would expand around me, I was sweating like crazy and shaking a little bit. I could push the jutsu outward from my body and form a dome-like "bubble" around me, causing everything in the bubble to be trapped in the kekkei genkai. I usually only used the jutsu in short bursts, but the longest I had managed was about twenty two minutes before I passed out.

After releasing the jutsu my stomach started growling with a vengeance, creating hunger pangs and making me feel slightly nauseous.

There was nothing in the hotel. The hotel only had two rooms, a small bathroom, and a bigger living room area, but nowhere to keep food. The hotel didn't have much furniture other than the beds in the rooms, and a small square table in the living room. As I went and cleaned myself up a bit in the bathroom, I headed for the door. As I passed the window on the way to the door, I saw a small black bird sitting on the ledge. It had a small bundle of scrolls sitting next to it on the ledge, and a note tied to its leg. After opening the window and grabbing the scrolls, I untied the note from the birds leg. I tried to pet the bird after I untied the note from its leg, but it flew off before I could touch it. For a moment I watched it fly through the sky, wishing I could fly with it.

My stomach loudly reminded me that it was empty as I shut the window. I unfolded the note. It read: _Kiyoko, deliver these to the Hokage as soon as you get them. _

I noticed my father's handwriting, and I sighed. Glad to know they cared about how I was. Although I was used to them not being the most caring of parents, a small part of me still wanted them to ask how I was. Locking the door behind me, I left the hotel room.

* * *

I noticed about twenty feet from the house that ANBU shinobi were following me. They were really good at concealing themselves, although I expected as much. They were supposed to be the village's elite shinobi after all. But I hadn't sensed them until I left, and I only happened to see a flash of white with a black swirl that served as one of their masks.

Deciding I didn't care if they followed me, I kept walking towards the Hokage's normally. I wasn't doing anything wrong to try and lose them. And if they wanted to waste their time following me around on errands, that was their problem. Maybe they'd get bored and leave me alone.

Walking through the small crowds of people in the streets, I took the quickest route to the Hokage's building. Some people smiled politely as they passed me, while some looked at me closely, like they were trying to figure out who I was. I just nodded and gave them a small smile as I walked.

The Hokage's door was opened when I arrived, so I knocked on the door while remaining firmly behind the threshold.

Lady Hokage looked up at me, "Oh, Kiyoko. Come in. What did you need?" She was sifting through humongous stacks of paper and folders. Her desk was quite messy.

"My parents asked me to deliver these to you," I told her, handing the small bundle of scrolls to her. She took them and unwrapped them, reading them quickly, nodding occasionally at the contents inside.

"Very good, thank you Kiyoko," she smiled at me. "How is everything going with the academy?"

"Good, Lady Hokage," I told her, trying to pretend that being stuck with a bunch of kids was fun.

I thought I saw a look pass over her face quickly, but I couldn't be too sure since it was gone quickly before I could understand what it was. "Good. Was that all?"

I was about to answer her when someone came in asking, "Lady Tsunade, are you done with that paperwork from earlier?" It was the other lady from the other night, the one that was holding the pig. Except this time, the pig was trailing behind her.

"Of course not, Shizune. How am I supposed to get all of this done. I get a section out of the way only to have four more pop up. No one told me being Hokage meant this much paperwork," Lady Hokage complained, looking at the various piles on her desk.

I cocked my head to the side in confusion. What did she mean? Had she not been Hokage for a long time now?

"I don't know, but you should try and hurry M'Lady, there is still more," Shizune told her.

"Ugh… I'm going for a drink. I'll finish the paperwork…later…" Lady Hokage said getting up, and pushing her chair back.

"Please, Lady Tsunade, just get it done," Shizune begged.

Lady Hokage just stretched her arms above her head. "Oh, come on Shizune. I've been crammed in here all day. A little break won't hurt anyone." She went to walk around her desk, and she looked at me. "Oh, yeah. Did you need anything else, Kiyoko?"

I shook my head, "No, Lady Hokage." I bowed and started to walk out of the office.

"Oh yes, Kiyoko," Lady Hokage called after me. I turned to listen. "We found you and your parents an apartment to move into, I'm sure that hotel room is a bit small." She grabbed one of the papers on her desk. "I've already informed your parents."

I nodded, and gave her a slight bow before I left.

* * *

My parents were actually home when I returned.

After I shut the door, three kunai came flying directly at my head. I quickly jumped to the right as the kunai stuck into the wooden door. _Glad to see you guys to after two days…_

"Good to see that academy hasn't made you slow," my mother commented, coming into view. She had her hair into a small ponytail, and her usual black clothes on.

I had no response to her statement. I merely kicked my shoes off, coming into the living room.

"We're moving into an apartment tomorrow. After you get finished with the academy, I want you to go grocery shopping. We won't be home for a week or two," my mother told me.

"Yes ma'am," I replied. "Will you be on a mission?"

"Yes," my father replied, coming out of the bathroom. Steam followed him out in tendrils. He had just gotten out of the shower, so his hair was slicked back away from his face. His light green eyes looking at me. "The ANBU have many missions and we must prove ourselves. That's all you need to know." He had on some new clothes, I noticed. And after a closer look at my mother I noticed she had on new clothes too. Looks like I was on my own for my clothes. I wonder how much money I had left…

"Oh yeah, there have been ANBU shinobi following me a couple times," I told them.

They shared a look. "How do you know they're following you?" Father asked.

"I noticed them last night. Then I used my kekkei genkai to follow then unnoticed. They were only following me. They also did earlier at the academy and on my way to the Hokage's building," I told them.

"What did I tell you about using your kekkei genkai?" demanded my mother. She jumped up and slammed a knee into my stomach. "Didn't I specifically say _not _ to use it, Kiyoko? I'm pretty sure I did," she continued.

I just curled up, wrapping my arms around my stomach. She may have broke one of my ribs, so taking deep breaths was a little difficult. I just braced myself for more, fear washing over me. Surprisingly, she just exhaled sharply and walked over to my father across the room.

_Huh, only one kick. That's a first._

"Just go to your room and go to bed," Father told me, sneering at me like I was the last thing he wanted to see at the moment.

Nodding, and still holding my side, I went into my room and shut the door. I vaguely recalled being hungry, but I didn't have an appetite anymore. I just crawled into my bed and tried to go to sleep, hoping my parents decided not to come into my room and yell at me again.


	7. Chapter 7

Here's chapter 7. Please leave a review, pretty please! If there are any spelling errors, or grammatical errors, sorry. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 7: Genin Examination

My parents were gone when I woke up, thankfully. Don't get me wrong, I respected my parents. I didn't know if I loved them (I wasn't sure if I knew what love was), but I knew I usually preferred to be alone. Although, that still didn't stop me from secretly hoping they'd come home and actually take care of me like I saw other kids' parents do for them. I was realistic to know it would never happen, but I could still hope I supposed.

After waking up and getting ready, my stomach started to express its need for food. I didn't have anything at the house, so it would have to wait until after school. I didn't have time to get something to eat for lunch before classes started. I also noticed any sign of my parents being at the hotel were gone, so I guessed they took all their limited stuff with them earlier that morning. All I had was what I had on, so I didn't have to worry about packing anything.

I walked quickly to the academy, trying to think of something other than my stomach. I noticed the ANBU weren't following me this morning. Absently, I prodded my left side where my mother had kicked me. She may not look strong, but that woman could put some force behind a hit. I didn't get a chance to look at it, but I'm sure it was bruised. Thankfully, I didn't think anything was broken.

"Mommy, come on!" a little kid shouted at his mother who was walking behind him. "We'll get there in a minute, calm down!" the mother laughed, following. I slowed down and smiled, watching as the little boy tried to pull his mother faster down the street.

"What're you so smiley for this morning? I'm not even sure I've seen you smile," Makoto suddenly said standing in my line of vision. She held a piece of toast in her hands as she stood in front of me. She startled me a bit. I had gotten distracted watching the child and parent.

"Nothing," I said, my smile fading. She fell in step with me as we made our way to the academy.

"Alright. Well, anyway, good morning!" she said cheerily. I could smell her piece of toast and my stomach growled loudly. Blushing I covered my stomach, mentally telling it to stop. Not that it did any good. In fact, it may have made it worse. "Jeez, hungry much? You're stomach's so noisy." I looked at her and realized she was lightly teasing me. I blushed even harder as my stomach growled again, only not as noisy as before. "Here," she said, giving me her piece of toast. "I'm stuffed from the breakfast my mom cooked this morning."

My eyes zeroed in on the toast. I barely managed to not snatch it from her hands. "No," I told her after a second. "It's your food," I told her, declining her offer. I wouldn't take her food. I'd just wait until after the academy and go shopping.

She stomped in front of me, making me stop walking. Her eyes narrowed at me. "Eat the piece of toast, Kiyoko. If not, I'm going to throw it away and it'll go to waste." After I was silent for a minute, watching her she took a step closer. "Take. The. Toast."

I went to protest and she shoved it into my mouth anyway. Immediately, I started to chew it. It was delicious. My stomach, while not completely satisfied, it quieted down and quit growling at me. At my weird look at her, Makoto exclaimed, "What? We're friends. If I wanna share my toast with you, I will. Besides you were hungry and we're friends, didn't I tell you that already? Haven't you had a friend before?"

I shook my head no and continued walking. I hadn't ever had a need for a friend. My goals in life were to be practically be invisible and to appease my parents. My life was easiest that way.

She sighed. "Of course you haven't, but don't forget my promise. I will get you out of your shell, even if it's a bit at a time. That's what friends do."

* * *

Everyone in the room was anxious and jittery when Makoto and I finally arrived at the classroom. Most of them were quietly talking to one another, and some of them were flipping through notes of theirs.

"What the-" Makoto started to ask. Then she smacked herself in the forehead, "Holy Hokage, I completely forgot! Today's the examination to become genin!" I guess she smacked herself a bit harder than she wanted to because she started to rub her forehead gently. "How could I have forgotten?"

I just took a seat at my desk. Iruka sensei walked in as I sat down, telling everyone to take a seat. After gathering everyone's homework, he stood in front of the classroom. "Alright, everyone. You know what today is. Some of you have been waiting for a long time for this day," he started. "The day you take your genin exams to see if you get to graduate or stay here in the academy a while longer."

Everyone bursts into whispers again. Nervous energy radiated around the room.

"I'll take one of you at a time as see if you can perform at a genin level using basic skills and jutsu. While I'm gone, I expect you to behave in here. First one up is Yuzu Akiyama. The rest of you, patiently wait your turn." With that, a small girl stood up and headed out of the classroom with Iruka sensei, leaving us by ourselves.

Makoto practically appeared next to me with as quick as she ran back to my desk. "You think you'll have to take it since you're new?" she asked me. She was excited like everyone else.

I shrugged. It didn't really matter to me anyway. I was technically a genin from my old village, before it was destroyed. My parents hadn't bothered making me partake in a team, they were allowed to train me themselves. Even though I was way stronger, I still had the title of genin. I guess I'd pass the exam and become a genin (again). That was what normal kids did at the academy right?

"How can you be so nonchalant about this? I can't sit still, I'm so excited. We can finally get out of this classroom and go on missions. Granted we have to start small and work our way up, but still! I'm so excited I can't even sit still!" True to her word, she was practically shaking uncontrollably. If I didn't know better I would almost think she had something physically wrong with her.

I shrugged again at her, watching her as she rambled on. Soon enough, Iruka sensei called out Makoto's name and she practically leapt down the aisle in order to get to Iruka sensei. He chuckled and shook his head at her as he lead her out of the room.

Sweet isolation embraced me as the class slowly trickled out one by one. The only one left was me and this boy who was playing with a kitten that had jumped up into the window. He had short black hair that was pushed back. From what I could tell, he had on a plain white shirt and brown shorts.

"Kiyoko Kurama, would you come with me please?" Iruka sensei said, popping his head into the classroom. I stood up and walked out of the room. Iruka sensei started walking and I fell into step beside him. "Kiyoko, would you like to take the examination today? I know you're new, but I think you're ready. But if you feel you aren't prepared, then it's okay. You are younger than most of the students taking the exam by a couple years anyway."

"I'll take it, Iruka sensei," I told him. I mentally rolling my eyes. If only he knew.

"Alright," he smiled at me. "I thought you would."

After leading me to an empty room that had one longer table in it, he took a seat next to a couple other people I had recognized as other teachers. They asked me to do a transformation jutsu, which I did. Then they asked me to create a clone, which I did instantly. Was this their standard for genin in this village? Transformation and clone jutsu?

"Very good," Iruka told me, impressed. "Alright, Kiyoko. You pass!" He then handed me a Leaf headband to wear, and told me I could leave. Then he told me I was to come back the next day to learn who I was going to be on a three-man team with. And to learn who my teacher would be.

That was it? I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. My old village was far more strict than here. They made you survive on your own for two weeks in various climates to see how well one could adapt to the environment. Not to mention I was made to fight several other ninja of varying levels of strength. The point wasn't to win, it was to fight for a certain amount of time. If you won though, you definitely passed. I had won.

I sighed as I left the academy building. I didn't exactly feel excited to be a genin…again.

However, I could hear Makoto's squeal of excitement as soon as I exited the building. She went to lunge at me and I twisted out of the way quickly. What the heck was she attacking me for?

She dug her feet into the ground to stop herself from smacking into the academy wall. "Why'd you move? I was going to hug you. You passed!" she smiled, turning back to me.

"That didn't look like a hug," I told her, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, who cares, ya party pooper! We passed!" She raised her headband up to the sun and grinned like a fool. Suddenly, she looked at me. "What if we're on the same team? That would be fantastic! I can feel it in my bones!" Then she started grinning again. "I wonder who our third person is going to be…" she asked as she looked at the rest of the kids that had passed. Most of their parents were outside, sharing in the excitement. Mine were nowhere to be found, but they had told me they'd be on a mission for a while so I didn't expect them. I looked around to see if Makoto's parents were here. I had no idea what they looked like, but I was picturing two adults who acted just as crazy as Makoto.

Suddenly Makoto grabbed my arm, dragging me over a ways near the end of the street. There were two adults with a small toddler walking towards the academy building. The woman was probably five-four, with long golden blonde hair that went down her back. She had vibrant green eyes and a kind, round face. The man was much taller at six-three, and he had very short light brown hair and brown eyes. The little boy looked about two, and he stood on wobbly legs, hand firmly clasped in the woman's hand. He had short brown hair and green eyes.

"Mom! Dad! I passed!" Makoto shouted, finally letting my arm go and running up to the trio.

"That's great, honey!" the woman smiled brightly. The little kid giggled and ran up to Makoto.

"I never doubted you wouldn't pass," the man said.

Makoto picked up the boy and turned my direction. "Mom, Dad, this is Kiyoko. She's the new girl I was telling you about." Makoto adjusted the boy in her arms as he squirmed happily. "Kiyoko, this is my mom Hanako, my father Takeshi, and this-" she said, bouncing the boy a bit, "-is Keiichi."

"Nice to meet you," I told them bowing slightly. I had expected them to be a little more sporadic and energized, but thankfully they seemed fairly calm. I wondered where Makoto go it.

After a few more minutes, the family invited me over for dinner. I declined, telling them I had to stop by the grocery store before heading home. They all gave me smiles before heading the other way. Makoto waved like a lunatic until she couldn't see me when she rounded the nearby corner. I just shook my head, chuckling as I rolled my eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, here's another chapter! Hope you guys are liking it so far. It would be greatly appreciated if you would leave a review! If you don't want to leave a review, you can always message me and tell me what you think! Anyway, as always, if there are any errors, I will try and get them fixed, but I'm only human. So here you go, chapter 8...

Chapter 8: Assassins

"Here you go sweetie," the woman said, handing me my two bags full of groceries.

Thanking her, I started heading home. I had only gotten some of the basics, like milk and bread, and a few other things to make a meal with. Since I was officially a genin here, I could get more food after I went on a couple missions. Plus I wouldn't have to worry about feeding my parents, just me until I saved up some more money.

As I was walking home, I noticed I was being followed again. Only this time, they didn't feel like the ANBU shinobi that had been following me. Or maybe they were just different ANBU maybe? I didn't know. I just walked home, carrying my groceries.

I recalled the address the Hokage had given me, but it took me a couple tries to get the right street before I found the apartment. The ninjas spying on me had followed me the entire time. I couldn't see them particularly, but I could sense them.

The front door was unlocked for me when I arrived up the stairs. Our apartment was on the third floor, on the top of the building. Walking inside, I locked the door behind me. I noticed a key laying on the table right inside the door. The apartment had a kitchen immediately to the left, with a living room directly in front of it. There was a couch and a chair seated around a square table. Two rooms sat on two sides of the living room, and a window took up the last wall. It was a simple apartment for two or three people, but it was nice. I put the food away quickly, noticing we had a fridge and a stove in the kitchen.

The feeling of being watched came over me again.

_Note to self, buy curtains tomorrow. _

Fine, if they wanted to follow me around and spy, I wanted to know who it was. If it was the ANBU again, I'd leave them alone. If it was someone else… We would see what happens. Locking the door behind me, I went downstairs and started walking in the direction of the woods that surrounded the village.

After walking a little ways into the forest, I stopped an closed my eyes, listening. I couldn't hear anything except the few nocturnal animals that were out, and some leaves blowing in the wind. I opened my eyes and looked around. The forest was almost completely black, except the few patches of moonlight that filtered through gaps in the trees.

Suddenly, two kunai came flying at my face. I only noticed them because of the moonlight glinting off the metal as they flew through the air. Jumping backwards, I realized I didn't have any kunai in my leg pouch with me, so I improvised and threw a rock off of the ground in the direction the kunai came from. I heard several ninja scatter. Then, after a couple tense seconds, two ninja stepped out into the moonlight. They wore all dark clothing, and dark face masks that covered half their faces up to their eyes.

Definitely not the ANBU shinobi. So there were others following me…

"Why are you following me?" I demanded, keeping my senses alert.

"Retribution for our village you destroyed," the one snarled at me, throwing some shuriken at me. I dodged those easily, but in my dodging the shuriken, the other ninja appeared behind me, grabbing me and throwing me into a large tree trunk. As I flew backwards, I made several hand signs, casting a genjutsu on the two men. The "me" they saw getting flung into the tree melted like ice on a hot day, into the ground. I distorted their senses, making them stumble a bit. Through the genjutsu, I made it appear as if the trees' roots were growing out of the ground and grabbing a hold of them, keeping them locked in place.

More kunai came at me from all around me in the trees. I managed to dodge them, keeping my genjutsu on the two in place. While I dodged the kunai, I grabbed some of the kunai that were sticking in the ground. I was about to take out the two in my genjutsu, but the others grabbed them and channeled their chakra into them, cancelling the genjutsu.

"That genjutsu won't work on us, little girl. It's too weak," one of them taunted. It was a man.

I grinned at them menacingly. They thought that pathetic genjutsu was all I could do? They were sadly mistaken. Not only did I have stronger genjutsu at my disposal, I had my taijutsu which was really good as well. I wasn't too good at ninjutsu, and my genjutsu took up a lot of my chakra. I could use my kekkei genkai, I supposed. As long as I didn't tell my mother, but I'd rather not have to lie about it.

Taking the kunai in my right hand, I lunged up at the ninja hiding in the trees. Two of them jumped the same direction, while the third one hiding went the other way. He'd be the first one then. I gathered chakra on my feet and shoved off, the chakra making me go faster. I jammed the kunai right into his heart, some of the blood squirting over my hand and shirt. He fell through the trees and landed with a thud on the ground.

As I landed on a tree, two more ninja jumped at me. They made rapid hand signs and shouted "Fire style: Raging Inferno jutsu!" A humongous wave of fire came rushing towards me. I turned and pushed off the tree making hand signs as quickly as I could. The fire engulfed me anyway.

One of the ninja motioned for the rest of the ninja to come down to the forest floor where I landed, curled into a ball. There was six of them, seven if you counted the one I had killed already. They surrounded my charred body that was still smoking. Too bad it was just a log I had used for a substitution jutsu.

My body poofed into smoke and the ninja jumped back. Far too late though. I was already weaving hand signs, my hands turning into a blur. I casted a genjutsu that affected them all.

"I'll ask you again, why are you following me?" I told them, coming out from behind a tree.

The ninjas all looked in my direction, flinging kunai and shuriken at me. My body dissolved into nothingness as I stepped out from another tree across from where I was originally. "I want answers, now." I told them, narrowing my eyes.

"Like you don't already know," one of them snapped at me. Another male. They cast more fire jutsu, trying to hit me. On impact, my body dissolved into thin air again. I was behind them now.

"I've already told you, I have no idea what you're talking about. You must be mistaken. My last village was destroyed, but it was rogue ninja from another land," I told them. "Now, leave this village. I don't want to see you again."

"And if we don't listen to a brat's empty threats?" one asked arrogantly, throwing a single shuriken at me.

I let it fly past my head. "Then you don't leave at all. Your choice."

One of them waved their arms around in the air. "Are we seriously going to let this little brat tell us what to do? We followed her around for the past couple days, there's no way she can take all six of us down." The rest looked unsure for a moment, but the pep talk seemed to give them idiotic courage. After they all nodded simultaneously, they lunged at me.

Weaving more hand signs, I threw a kunai at the six of them. I made the one kunai turn into a shower of them in my genjutsu. There were hundreds of kunai raining down on the six of them from all directions. There was nowhere they could hide. They all screamed and hit the ground, kunai raining down, slicing and stabbing into their bodies. After a few moments, I stopped. They all lay on the ground, dead, blood coloring the ground.

Releasing the genjutsu, I saw the ninja standing in one place. Their eyes dead already. Their bodies collapsed almost instantly, not a scratches or blood on them.

_Hah, and they thought my genjutsu was weak_, I thought grimly. I didn't like to kill other people, but I wasn't opposed to it if there was no other way. And there was no way they would've left me alone. I kind of felt sorry for them, they had died for something so stupid. I don't know who destroyed their village, or why they thought it was me, but I bowed my head over their bodies, praying they found peace.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey everyone! Here's some more chapters, hope you like them. To the people who followed or favorited this story, thank you thank you! And a special thanks to renoa-hime for reviewing every chapter. I can't wait to see what you think of these ones! If there's any errors, I'm sorry!

Chapter 9: Team 14

After I disposed of the ninja, I headed towards a nearby stream to try and rinse my shirt out a bit. Some of the one ninja's blood had dripped onto part of my shirt, and a couple drops on my pants.

After thoroughly washing my hands and arms off, and trying to scrub through my clothes without taking them off, I headed back towards town quickly. I was going to need some new clothes. I was going to wait until I had extra money from missions, but I couldn't put it off any longer.

Some of the shops had closed by the time I got back to the shopping area of town, but some were still open. I went into a clothing store and found the cheapest clothes possible: I was almost out of the money I had saved up. I barely had enough for the two new outfits I bought. I made sure both were on sale or cheap. I didn't need any expensive clothing that some people liked to wear. I bought one pair of tan pants, a pair of black shorts, and two more black shirts. One a tank top and the other a t-shirt. I also bought some new underwear.

The old lady told me thank you and to be careful on my way home. I gave her a polite wave and walked out of the door. The walk home was thankfully peaceful. I didn't have anyone following me (for once) and I stopped and looked up at the sky. I hadn't noticed how many stars I could see from the village. It was quite peaceful and beautiful.

When I got home, I took a much needed shower. Thankfully my parents had bought soaps and shampoo to use. Slipping on one of the new t-shirts and the pair of shorts, I headed toward the kitchen, running my hands through my hair. Thanks to the fighting it was a bit knotted, but I got the knots out fairly easily. As I started cooking something quick and easy, my stomach started growling again, reminding me that all I had to eat was that piece of toast that morning. After shoving the food in my mouth, I made sure the doors and windows were locked before I went to bed. I wondered about those ninja from earlier, and the ANBU, and wondered if there were more people I needed to worry about. After what seemed like hours, I finally fell asleep.

* * *

Morning came too quickly like usual as I forced myself out of bed to get ready. I actually got to eat something small for breakfast before grabbing my new head band and running out the door for the academy. People passed by me on the streets, and I watched them like usual as I walked. It was oddly relaxing to watch these people just go about their business. They lead peaceful, ordinary lives. I wondered what that was like…

"Heeeey! Kiyoko," Makoto's voice called through all the people. After I took a few more steps, I saw her pushing through some of the people in the street. Some glared at her, while some just did the smart thing and moved out of the way. She must live somewhere around that certain part of the village, because she always managed to find me around the same place every morning. "Did you eat anything this morning? Or is your stomach going to scare the small children away again?" she laughed, holding up a piece of toast like yesterday.

"I ate," I told her, walking past her. _My stomach did _not _scare any children away! It wasn't _ that _loud… Was it?_

"Oh," she said, walking next to me. She almost sounded disappointed. Then she shrugged. "Oh well," she mumbled before shoving the piece of toast halfway into her mouth and eating it. We made it a whole ten feet before she started with her usual questions. "So where are you going to wear your head band? I'm not so sure myself. Who do you think is going to be in our group today? Or our Sensei?" she made another squeal of excitement as she bounced on her heels.

I shook my head at her. There was no guarantee we were on the same team to begin with. I just listened as she told me about the small party her family through her for graduating. Her mom had made her a cake, but her little brother had shoved his hands through the side before she could blow out the few candles her mom had placed on the cake. Then her little brother started throwing the cake around, and then everyone joined in, throwing little bits of cake at each other. It sounded like a disaster, and I was glad I hadn't been there to participate or clean up after it.

We arrived at the academy, walking to the classroom. It was mostly just the classes that had graduated to genin. Most of them wore their head bands proudly, practically strutting about. Makoto remembered that she hadn't found a place to put hers, and was deep in thought until we got to the classroom. She hung it around her hips, the metal part laying to the right side of her body. It moved a bit as she walked, but looked otherwise secure. She seemed pleased with her choice and took a seat in the back of the class room, next to me. I just tied mine around my left bicep, and left it alone. It took a whole two seconds to decide, while Makoto decided to still worried about hers. At my weird looks I gave her, she informed me that where her head band went would become her new "image" and it couldn't be put in the wrong place. I just shrugged and looked out the window.

A few minutes went by before Iruka sensei came in, telling us to sit and be quiet. "Alright guys, I have your team lists right here." He said waving some papers in the air. The class cheered, but then quickly quieted down to listen. Iruka sensei rambled off three names at a time and the kids went to switch seats with each other to sit in their teams.

"Alright, next is… Team 14. Makoto Fukui," Iruka sensei called out. Makoto threw her arms in excitement, fidgeting in her seat. "Kazuhiko Harada." One of the boys near the windows in the front stood up. It was the boy who was playing with the kitten before the exam yesterday. "And lastly," Iruka sensei said.

Makoto grabbed my arm, shaking with anticipation.

"Kiyoko Kurama," he smiled.

Makoto let out a loud "whoop!" and jumped out of her seat.

_Oh, Lord. Did she somehow rig the pairings so I would be on her team? _I wondered silently. Surely it wasn't coincidental. I mentally resolved myself, telling myself that I already knew how to tune her out so it wouldn't be a problem. However, I knew nothing about that Kazuhiko boy. After my name was called, said boy headed to the back of the room with us. He had on a pair of dark shorts that went past his knees, and a light blue shirt that made his blue eyes stand out.

He gave us a genuine smile, and a wave as he sat next to Makoto. Instantly, she shook his hand excitedly and introduced herself. Then she introduced me to him, which I could've done, but since she did, I just gave him a small smile and focused back on Iruka sensei.

Sensei rambled off two more pairs, making it a total of five teams. There was more than I expected. "Okay, now that the teams are out of the way, I'll tell your sensei to come by here and get your teams. Behave while I'm gone," Iruka said, leaving the room once more.

The second Iruka sensei left the room, Makoto turned back to the boy again. "So I don't know much about you, Kazu. Tell me about yourself," she told him, excited. At least she had stopped shaking.

"Umm… Kazu?" the boy asked, raising an eye brow.

"It's a nickname. We're a team now, it's okay. Go on," she told him, waving her hand, dismissing his question.

He smiled at her, a little amused. "Well, I love to be outside. In my spare time I like to read and practice my chakra control. I want to be a medical ninja one day," he told us. I noticed he had an arm wrapped around his torso.

"A medical ninja, huh?" Makoto asked.

"Yeah," Kazuhiko said curtly, almost confrontationally.

"Sounds awesome! I'm partial to taijutsu and ninjutsu myself, but that's great!" Makoto smiled at him. It seemed he let out a breath that he was holding, like some invisible pressure had been lifted off of him. Suddenly his stomach underneath the shirt started moving. With wide eyes, I stared at his stomach as something twisted and turned underneath his shirt. A quiet meow came from the shirt, and Kazuhiko held his stomach a little tighter. He turned to us, putting a hand behind his head, embarrassed.

"I found him on the way here. I petted him for a few seconds and then he kept following me here. So I picked him up, and snuck him in here," he explained, ducking his head a little.

"Can we see him?" Makoto asked.

Kazuhiko shrugged, and pulled the small black kitten from his shirt. It was almost tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand. Its mother must have left it or died. It looked like it was weak, and its fur was definitely dirty. The kitten was set upon the desk, and it started to meow and cry like crazy. Makoto put a hand out for it to smell, and started to pet it. Immediately, the kitten started rubbing against her hand, purring quietly. Kazuhiko told me I could pet it, but I just shook my head.

"We should name him!" Makoto decided. After a second she added, "Is it a boy? Or a girl?"

"He's a boy," Kazuhiko told her. "And that sounds like a good idea."

Before they could come up with any name ideas, the classroom door suddenly flung open.


	10. Chapter 10

Here's chapter 10 everyone! Please review if you'd like. I know I'd like you to! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 10: A New Teacher

A tall man who looked like a body builder walked into the room. He had on a black jacket with a black shirt underneath. He wore brown pants with a pair of boots that went halfway to his knees. His face was scrunched up into a sneer and he looked around the room.

Makoto looked at me, looking a bit scared, and then back to the man. "Please don't be our sensei, please don't be our sensei," she mumbled under her breath quietly.

"Listen up, kiddies. I'm here for Team 15. Let's go, hurry it up!" He bellowed. I swear his voice echoed around the room.

Makoto let out a huge sigh of relief, and I thought I saw Kazuhiko's shoulders drop a little in relief too. It didn't matter to me who our Sensei was. Three of the other students stood up slowly, and walked out of the room behind the man.

"Jeez, he was scary looking," Makoto whispered to us.

Kazuhiko nodded, "Yeah, I'm glad we didn't get him."

A few more adults came in one at a time, announcing their team numbers. Slowly the other genin trickled out of the class. It was our team and another who were left waiting last. The other three were just sitting there, looking in opposite directions. I guess they didn't get along at all. They wouldn't make it too far if they didn't learn some cooperation and teamwork. I may not be the most social of people, but I still knew how to work with other people on a mission.

The classroom door opened, revealing another man. He was about six feet tall, and had light brown hair that fell to his ears and swept across his forehead. He had on the usual dark blue clothing that a Jonin would wear, and the green vest over his torso. His leg pouch was on the right leg, and he had a square bag wrapped around his waist that hung behind him. He cleared his throat, "I'm looking for Team 14." He sounded polite enough.

We stood up. Well, Kazuhiko and I stood. Makoto leapt out of her chair, excited once again. I swear she had energy to spare. After walking down to the front of the classroom where the man stood, he motioned for us to follow him. On the way out I noticed the other three bickering with each other. Shaking my head, I followed behind everyone.

The Jonin lead us outside to a huge hill near the school. One lone tree stood at the top, dropping leaves on the ground every once in a while when the breeze blew.

"Hello, you guys. To get started, I'd like for you to introduce yourselves. You guys may or may not know each other well, so I want you to tell me something you like, dislike, and what you aspire to do as you grow," he smiled at us. The three of us were seated in the grass, and he was seated across from us. "Who wants to go first?"

Makoto's hand shot up. "My name's Makoto Fukui. I like to have fun with my family and friends. I dislike when my brother decides to take my stuff. And I want to become a great ninja so that I can protect my friends."

The sensei nodded, and looked at me and Kazuhiko. Kazuhiko went next. "I'm Kazuhiko Harada. I like animals a lot, and dislike people who try to tell me what to be. I want to become a medical ninja and a vet, so I can help people and animals." To emphasize his words, the black kitten he had, snuck out from the top of his shirt and crawled up onto his shoulder.

"Very kind of you," the sensei commented. Then he looked at me. Makoto gave me an encouraging look, and Kazuhiko watched me, waiting for my answer.

After a few seconds, I said, "I'm Kiyoko. I like to be invisible, and dislike to be the focus of attention."

The sensei looked at me closely. I narrowed my eyes at his stare, avoiding eye contact. _I just told him I didn't like to be the focus of attention and then he stares at me_, I thought exasperated.

"She's more of a quiet one, I've been trying to help her," Makoto said, as if that explained everything.

The sensei nodded after a moment. "I see. Anything you want to be when you're older?" he asked, genuinely curious.

I sat there for a few minutes silently, hoping he'd just move on and forget about my answer. But as the minutes ticked on, everyone still had their full attention on me. I sighed, pulling my legs up to my chest, and wrapping my arms around them. I shook my head quietly, looking at no one in particular.

After another moment of silence, I could still feel everyone's eyes on me. I didn't look up to see the looks on their faces. I just hugged my legs a little tighter, hoping they'd move on. Finally, the sensei spoke up again, and all the attention was on him now. I instantly felt much better. "Well, my name is Hisoka Matsumoto. I like to paint and draw when the mood strikes. I dislike people who try and put others down or hurt them. And I aspire to be a good leader for you three, and the children of this village." He smiled at us. Then he stood up. "Now that we have that out of the way, I want to see where your current skills are. I want you three to attack me."

"Excuse me?" Makoto asked.

"I would like to see how you three fight, and if you can adapt to a situation. I'm assuming you three have never fought together before?" he asked. We shook our heads no. "Alright, this will show me if you can cooperate and adapt to each other," he explained. He waved a hand at us, "Come on, now."

Makoto shrugged and stood, Kazuhiko following her. I sighed and stood a bit more slowly than the others. I guess I could stick to low level genjutsu and average taijutsu. I hated having to make myself look like the weak little kid I looked like. I was always taught and forced to do the utmost I could, perfectly. Now that I had to dial my skills back, it was a little hard for me. I guess I could consider it another form of training. Maybe…

Suddenly, Makoto shot off towards Hisoka Sensei, using her speed to attack him. He maneuvered around her easily, blocking the kicks and punches she tried. She just pushed Hisoka Sensei backwards. Kazuhiko started making hand signs, "Earth Style: Trap hole jutsu!" The kitten jumped off of his shoulders and crawled a few feet away. The ground behind Hisoka Sensei collapsed and created a hole. Makoto delivered a strong kick, knocking him backwards and into the hole. She smiled, thinking she had gotten him, but Hisoka Sensei just jumped, did a back flip, and landed on the other side of the hole.

I took that opportunity as he landed and slid backwards to cast a simple genjutsu on him to distort his senses, and make him lose his balance for a second. Makoto looked confused for a fraction of a second as Sensei stumbled and had to catch his balance. She looked at me quickly, smiled, and darted off towards Sensei again. Kazuhiko followed her. I stayed behind.

Sensei put his hands together, gathering his chakra. "Release!"

Makoto and Kazuhiko reached him right after I felt my genjutsu break. They both went to punch him, and it looked like they were going to get him. But he pushed their arms out of the way, making them spin off in opposite directions. As they caught themselves, Makoto sprang toward him again, making hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball jutsu!"

Sensei dodged it and it flew past him and was headed straight for Kazuhiko. He shouted in surprise, and dived towards the ground. "Sorry!" Makoto yelled at him. While she was yelling, Sensei appeared behind her, hitting her forwards and into the hole in the ground. She landed with an "oof" and groaned a little.

"Not too shabby guys, not too shabby," Sensei praised. Then he looked at me. "Nice genjutsu, Kiyoko. You almost had me." He had no idea. "But why didn't you jump in and help them afterwards?"

I shrugged. "I prefer genjutsu."

Makoto's arms appeared over the edge of the hole as she struggled to get out. "Some help would be great!" she shouted. Kazuhiko stood up and grabbed her arms, pulling her out.

Sensei laughed. "Well, you guys don't seem to have a problem with working together. You can definitely do better with your attacks as you attack as a team, but that will come with practice and experience. Overall, I give you guys a B."


	11. Chapter 11

Hello again everyone! Here's chapter 11. Hope you guys like it. Please leave a review! I'd like to know what you think! It helps me get the writing/creative juices flowing! Again, if there's any errors, my bad...

Chapter 11: First Missions

After Hisoka Sensei told us we did a good job, he said we could go. He was going to get us some easy missions for the next day from Lady Hokage. He told us to meet back at the tree at sunrise. Makoto was beaming at our first day with Sensei and as a team, so she tried to get us both to come over to her house for dinner. Kazuhiko declined, saying he wanted to go home and take care of the kitten. Makoto decided we would come up with a name for him tomorrow. I declined when she asked me, and then started for home.

Home was nice and quiet, and I just cooked me some dinner and practiced my genjutsu. After pushing myself until my body was shaking, I relaxed for a bit, then worked on sit ups and pushups. I showered, noticing a lack of ANBU or assassins following me.

The next morning came all too soon. I trudged out of bed, pulling my hair into a high ponytail. I waited for a day when I could sleep in a little. The sun wasn't even out yet, but the sky in the distance was getting lighter and lighter by the minute. I glared at it for a second, wishing it'd just stay dark.

This time when I walked through the streets to the hill, there was only a few other people out and about. Most of them were elderly people, and the rest were shopkeepers as far as I could tell. Some smiled at me kindly, and I smiled back nodding my head.

Once again, Makoto met me at an intersection of two streets. She was yawning, but waved at me quickly nonetheless. "Morning," she chirped after yawning.

I just looked at her as a response, and continued trudging towards the direction of the meeting place. A few more streets over, and we saw Kazuhiko walking about fifty feet ahead of us. "Kazu!" Makoto shouted through her cupped hands.

I cringed at her shout. She was being far too loud way to early in the morning. I shot her a glare that relayed my irritation. She smiled at me sheepishly, but it didn't seem to bother her much. Kazuhiko stopped and turned around, waving at us as we caught up with him. "Morning," he said smiling. He seemed wide awake, while I was still fighting to keep my eyes open.

"Glad to know someone's awake this morning," Makoto said, shooting me a look.

"I'm a morning person, I've been up for a little bit," Kazuhiko informed us.

_He's insane. That's all there is to it._

"Not a morning person?" he asked me as we walked.

I shook my head no, and rubbed my face trying to wake up a little.

The three of us reached the tree after a few more minutes of walking. Hisoka Sensei was already there waiting for us. _Great, _I thought grumpily, _another morning person. _ At our arrival, Hisoka Sensei shoved a spiral bound sketchpad into his backpack around his waist. "Morning everyone."

Makoto and Kazuhiko said good morning, while I stayed silent. I was a bit more awake after walking all the way here though.

"Alright, I have us a couple easy missions today. We're going to clean up trash from the river for a while, and then we're going to one of the shops to help the elderly woman paint her store. Any questions?" We shook our heads no, and then Hisoka Sensei lead us to where we needed to go.

* * *

The three of us stood with our shoes off, ready to walk into the shallow part of the river. I almost just walked out onto the river out of habit, using my chakra to keep me above the water. Thankfully, out of habit, I stayed behind Makoto and Kazuhiko and watched them as they waded into the water. The water was ice cold on my feet, and effectively finished waking me up. Shivering, I wiggled my toes a bit, trying to feel them.

"Jeez this water is freezing! Why couldn't we do this during the day when it's warmer outside?" Makoto asked Sensei, turning to him. Surprisingly, Sensei was working on the river with us. Except he was using his chakra to stay atop the water. I kind of expected him to just stand by and watch and make sure we were working and keeping on track.

We all gathered enough trash to fill the little bins that we wore on our backs, before Sensei told us we did a good job and could stop. As we were walking out of the river, Kazuhiko suddenly gasped and spun behind him. Makoto was looking up at the sky, trying not to grin. Her hands were dripping water.

"Alright," Kazuhiko said quietly. I just kept walking towards the shore. As I walked, I heard shouts and splashes loudly behind me. I turned back to see the two trying to out-splash each other. As they kept trying they started laughing at each other. Sensei just moved with the waves, keeping an eye on us, a smile on his face.

"Hey, Hisoka Sensei, how are you walking on the water?" Makoto asked. "Can you teach us?"

"I'm using my chakra. And yes, I can teach you, but we'll practice that later and work our way towards water, alright?" he laughed.

"What else can we walk on?" Kazuhiko asked. Sensei explained how we could walk on trees, walls, cliffs… I zoned out and sat down on the shore, rubbing my hands over my feet to warm them.

Makoto headed out of the river and Kazuhiko splashed her good one last time before darting past her onto the shore. After her shriek of feigned outrage, she went to splash water onto the shore. Where I was sitting. After glaring at her, silently telling her she had better not splash me. At her pause Kazuhiko darted behind me.

"That's no fair, Kazu," she pouted. "I will get you back! Just you wait!" she declared, walking onto the shore. Sensei joined us and told us to follow him to dump the trash we had picked up. Makoto and Kazuhiko were dripping everywhere, leaving a trail where we went.

* * *

The next mission was for an elderly lady who wanted our help painting the back storage room of her store. After arriving, I realized it was the elderly woman who ran the clothes shop I had visited a couple days ago. She greeted all of us with a smile, happy we were there to help her. She recognized me and asked how I had been, and talking about how she hadn't known I was a "new shinobi". I smiled at her, nodding politely as she talked. Then she showed us to the back room.

"I had some of my workers move everything to another room, so don't worry about getting the paint on anything. There's nothing in there but the walls, and the plastic I put down on the floor for you. The paint and paint brushes are laying on the floor," she told us kindly before walking back to the front of the store.

"Thank you, Ma'am," we chorused, walking into the back. Each of us grabbed a paint roller and started to paint our own wall. The paint was an off white color, and looked shiny as it rolled onto the wall. After Sensei was done with his wall, he told us that he was going to talk to the owner of the store for a minute.

I turned around to get more paint, when suddenly little white droplets were being flung everywhere. Makoto had started a paint fight.

"Ha! I told you I would have my revenge, Kazu!" she laughed, playfully evil.

Kazuhiko's face was dotted with little white spots, and the top part of his shirt was spotted. "Oh, yeah?" he demanded, flinging paint back at her. Soon, the two were flicking their paint brushes at each other, running around the storeroom. They were acting like children.

Makoto stopped to dip her paintbrush in the little bit of paint that was left, and turned to me.

"Don't," I told her sternly, glaring at her once more. I turned back to make sure my wall was finished. I froze in place when I felt paint fling onto my back. Spinning around, I saw Makoto grinning at me, not even trying to deny it.

"Oh, come on, Kiyoko. Have some fun," Makoto told me, barely controlling her laughter. Kazuhiko looked at me and then back at Makoto several times, trying to see what would happen. I just sighed and turned back to the wall, making sure I went over every spot correctly. When more paint hit my back and arms, I spun around at her again.

"Stop it, Makoto. You're going to-" I started to say.

"Going to what? Get paint on the walls? That's the reason we're here, ya party pooper. We can't get any on the floor, there's plastic. What's so wrong?" she asked, getting ready to fling paint at me again. Her clothes were spotted with chunks of off-white paint, same with her arms and parts of her face. "Have a little fun."

"No, we're on a mission," I told her.

She flung more paint at me, dipping her brush in the small pan of paint. "Come on, Kiyoko. It's not a serious mission, and besides, we're practically done."

More paint hit my shirt. I gripped my brush a little tighter. _Would a genjutsu make her stop?_ I wondered. I had never used my genjutsu on a team mate of mine, and I was seriously considering starting right that moment. More paint splattered on me.

"Fine!" I shouted, whipping my brush sideways hard enough to fling the paint at her. She ducked and the paint splattered right onto Kazuhiko's face. Makoto burst out into laughter and fell to the floor. My eyes widened. "I'm sorry-" Before I could finish apologizing he flung paint back at me, not even the slightest bit upset I hit him. Deciding using the brushes wasn't enough, Makoto just stuck her hands palm first into the leftover paint and ran at both of us. I darted out of the way, but the storage room was only so big, so there wasn't much room to escape.

Makoto managed to lightly slap Kazuhiko with paint before he put his hands into the paint too. They both looked at me, hands dripping with paint. Kazuhiko kicked the leftover paint over to me, then they got ready for their attack.

_Fine, three could play at this game, _ I thought, slowly dipping my hands into the paint. As I rose, they both charged at me. Feigning left, I pushed to my right, flying past Makoto. Kazuhiko fell into the pan of paint, causing it to clatter on the ground upside down. Makoto burst into laughter again, holding her stomach. Kazuhiko laughed after wiping paint from his mouth. Their laughter was contagious, I couldn't stop myself from chuckling into my hands.

"What on earth are you three doing back here?" Sensei demanded, coming to the back. The elderly woman following behind him. Sensei looked around the room, but looked horrified at all the paint on the plastic on the floor. He looked at each of us individually.

_Uh oh…_


	12. Chapter 12

Hey everyone, thanks for reading again. Hope you like it and please review!

Chapter 12: Makoto's House

"Guys, what are you doing back here?" Hisoka Sensei asked again.

My heart felt like it fell into my stomach. We were so busted. I knew we shouldn't have been throwing the paint. Oh, God. What if he tells my parents? They may not be here now, but later… I didn't even want to think about that punishment. My heart sped up, and I was trying to control my breathing. Why did I ever even fling any paint?

"Well…" Makoto started. "We were kind of… flinging paint at each other…"

Sensei just hung his head for a moment.

"Having fun?" the elderly woman asked.

"Umm.. Kind of," Kazuhiko said looking at the floor, scratching his face. He only smeared more paint across his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," Hisoka Sensei apologized to the woman. "I'll make sure they pay for the-"

"Oh, psssh," the woman said, waving her hand at him. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't going to use that paint again anyway. Plus, it looks like they've finished the job, I don't see what a little fun hurts. Do you?" the woman smiled at us.

Makoto and Kazuhiko shook their heads, while relief washed over me. I wasn't in trouble. There was no need for punishment if I didn't do anything wrong, right?

"So… We're not in trouble?" Kazuhiko asked hesitantly.

"Oh, heavens no child," the woman laughed. "You should enjoy these fun moments. Especially for you shinobi. You all will have tough missions in the future, why not have some fun while you can, right?"

Sensei smiled at the woman, nodding at her words. "Alright guys, clean everything else up in here, and we'll head out," he told us, walking back to the front of the store with the old woman.

* * *

It was a little past midday by the time we had finished both of our missions. We had managed to wash the paint off our faces and arms, but everyone's clothes were pretty much ruined. At our trip to the Hokage's office to get our rewards, she raised an eyebrow at our appearance. After asking what happened, Hisoka Sensei explained it. She nodded, listening and looking at me every once in a while. I avoided eye contact when she looked my way. Then she handed over our money to Hisoka Sensei and we left.

"Here you guys go," Sensei said once we left the Hokage's building. He handed each of us a third of the profits. I felt better now that I wasn't in trouble and had money. I could buy some more food and clothes with the money I got. Not much, but enough for me. "Alright, I'll see you guys tomorrow morning again. Same meeting place." He waved bye and vanished.

"You guys want to go to my place and clean up? We have a couple wash rooms," Makoto asked us.

"Uhh… Sure. As long as I don't take too long. My dad wanted me home before dinner," Kazuhiko told her.

I shook my head and headed in the direction of my house. Unfortunately, that's the direction Makoto lived in, so her and Kazuhiko followed me.

"Come on, Kiyoko. Just come over and let my mom get the paint out of your clothes. She can get stains out of anything! It comes in handy when my brother gets into things he shouldn't," she laughed. I shook my head again. "Are you mad? Because I threw paint at you?" Another head shake from me. I truly wasn't mad, in fact, being mad at her never crossed my mind. I actually had fun for once. It may not have lasted long, but still. "Then come over! Do you want me to ask your parents for you?" she asked.

I stopped and looked at her. She would _never _ meet my parents if I had anything to do with it. I could just imagine the repercussions of that. My parents would not like her. At all. And I could just imagine the lecture that would come after meeting her. "No," I told her sternly. "They aren't home." Thankfully.

"Well then why can't you come over? If they're not home, what do they care?" she asked, crossing her arms. She looked angry. Oh, if only she knew. Kazuhiko just stood there awkwardly, not really knowing what to do.

"They're…very strict," I said slowly. Strict didn't quite do it justice, but it was the only thing I could come up with.

"Well, if they're so strict, are they going to like those paint spots on your clothes?"

No, they would definitely _not _like them…

"That's what I thought. Now at least come to the house and let Mom take care of your clothes, okay? She can do yours first, and then you can go if you have to," Makoto suggested.

Sighing, I just started walking again in the general direction of her home. Makoto let out a sound of triumph, and I couldn't help but feel a bit tricked. She was the one who threw paint on me in the first place. Suddenly, Makoto grabbed me from the side and hugged me. I tensed up and tried to push her off of me. She was surprisingly stubborn but eventually let me go. Kazuhiko just laughed at us, following behind us.

We arrived at a large wooden building that was shaped like a "U". The front had a huge wrap- around porch. Kazuhiko whistled low at the size of the house. I looked at it in amazement. I couldn't believe someone actually lived in the huge building. I had never lived in a building half its size.

Makoto showed us to the front door. As we entered, her little brother ran at Makoto and attached himself to her leg. "Sissy!" he shrieked.

Makoto tried to shake him off, but he wouldn't budge. Instead he just hugged her leg tighter and she hobbled deeper into the house. It was quite amusing. "Kazuhiko, this is Keiichi. He's only two."

"Sissy, who is these people?" her brother asked looking up at Makoto.

"These are my friends and teammates. You already met Kiyoko the other day, remember? And this guy is Kazuhiko. Be nice, alright?" Her brother nodded, and finally decided to release her leg. Then he darted in the other room.

"Makoto, is that you?" her mom's voice called out before she rounded the corner. She looked pleasantly surprised that we were here, smiling at all of us. Then she noticed our clothes. "Makoto, I'm just going to assume you were the cause of that," her mother said, pointing at our clothes.

Makoto forced a laugh, "Maybe? Who really knows anymore? It happened so long ago…"

Her mother shot her a look, shaking her head in exasperation. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Love me," Makoto said smiling at her mother.

"I guess if I must," her mother sighed jokingly. Makoto laughed, and then her mother told us to follow her into the house. Makoto introduced Kazuhiko to her mother as we walked. We passed several rooms, the kitchen, and a dining room area before we reached one of the washrooms. "Kazuhiko, you can take this one. I'll have my husband grab you some clothes to wear." Kazuhiko thanked her and he went in. Her mother led us down to the other side of the house. "Makoto, let Kiyoko borrow some of your clothes for a bit, alright? As soon as you change, give me everyone's clothes."

"Yes, mom," Makoto said, leading me into her room.

I looked around in amazement as I entered Makoto's room. Clothes were scattered on the floor here and there. Her bed hadn't been made, and her desk she had was piled with books and papers. She had pictures of her and her family posted all over one of the walls, with some drawing from Keiichi mixed in.

"Sorry it's a mess, I get kind of scatterbrained sometimes," she told me as she bent over to go through a basket of clothes. "Aha! Here ya go." She handed me a pair of lose pants, and a big t-shirt. "I'm a bit taller than you, but you can roll up the pants."

I took them, and looked around for a room to change in.

"What are you looking for? Change your clothes so I can give them to mom," Makoto said, taking off her half shirt she had on over her tank top.

I paused. I had never changed in front of anyone else before. Not even my parents. I'm sure I did when I was way little, but I couldn't recall very well. Makoto looked at me closely, and asked if she wanted me to leave while I changed. I nodded, quickly. She left the room, shutting the door behind her. Quickly, I changed, opening the door to let her know I was finished. She grabbed my clothes and vanished down the hallway.

Standing there awkwardly, I looked at the pictures on her wall. I didn't have any pictures of me or my family. My parents would think pictures of us together to be pointless. Most of the pictures are just of Makoto and immediate family, but some of the others had people I didn't know. There was quite a few pictures of Makoto and an older boy. He looked about fifteen, while Makoto looked about nine. He had the same blonde hair as Makoto but the same green eyes that resembled her mother's.

"That's my brother," Makoto's voice informed me. I jumped, startled. I was lost in my thoughts so I hadn't heard her come back in. She had on some lose clothing like I did now. "He died a few years ago. His name was Sota."

I nodded in response. I didn't know what to say. What do you say to that? I had never lost anyone, so I couldn't sympathize. My parents never let me have anyone to lose.

Makoto smiled sadly at the pictures, but then snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Anyway, mom said she can have your clothes done in about thirty minutes, and then they'll take a little while longer to dry, that alright?"

I nodded, and followed her as she led me out of her room.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello again! Here's chapter 13. Hope everyone's liking it so far. Please leave a review!

Chapter 13: Fun

"Sissy, come pway with me!" Keiichi shouted from outside.

There was a door that led to the back yard behind their house at the end of Makoto's hallway where her room was. "Not right now, Keiichi," she shouted back. He puffed out his cheeks and pouted at us as we walked back towards the kitchen. Her mother was scrubbing my clothes in the sink. I instantly felt bad for her. They were my clothes after all. I should've been the one to get the stains out.

Kazuhiko came around the corner, wearing a worn out pair of pants, and a normal t-shirt. The pants were rolled up at the bottom and the waist was rolled up so they wouldn't fall down. A look of sadness passed over Makoto's face, but it was gone quickly. I could only assume that they were her brother's old clothes.

"Thank you for letting me borrow some clothes, Mrs. Fukui," Kazuhiko said.

"Oh, no problem, sweetie. Now you three go find something to do while I get these finished," her mother told us, scrubbing our clothes.

Makoto lead us back outside to the backyard. As soon as we stepped outside, a small ball came flying at her head. It hit her in the side of the face, and I could hear Keiichi's voice giggling from behind a tree they had in the yard.

"Jeez, little sibling are a pain," she said, only half serious, while she rubbed her face a little.

"I only have an older sister so I wouldn't know," Kazuhiko said, shrugging. He picked up the ball and tossed it back to Keiichi. The kid laughed and kicked the ball back as hard as he could, which wasn't very hard. It didn't even make it all the way back to us. When Makoto went for the ball, Keiichi ran for it too, causing a game of keep the ball. When the ball reached Kazuhiko, he decided to join in.

I just stood there, not knowing what to do. But it was kind of funny to watch them play. After Keiichi figured out that two grown kids were better than him at controlling the ball with their feet than he was, he picked up the ball and started to run in circles. Makoto was chasing after him, yelling that running with the ball wasn't fair. Keiichi just laughed and ran past me.

"Kiko, catch!" Keiichi yelled, tossing the ball back. It landed in front of me.

Kiko? I thought, confused.

"Her name isn't Kiko, Keiichi. It's Kiyoko," she said slowly, still chasing after him. She could've caught up to him easily, but she didn't, letting him think he was winning. He stopped for a minute, trying to say my name correctly.

"Ki-ew-ko," he tried again, slowly. After getting it wrong a few times, he didn't seem to care. "Kiko, ball!" he demanded, throwing his arms up in the air to catch it.

I bent over and picked the ball up.

"Oh, you're not going to get the ball Keiichi, because I'm going to get it first," Makoto teased him, running full speed towards me.

I raised an eyebrow. I may not know how to play exactly, but I knew a challenge when I heard one. I waited for her to almost get to me before I darted to the side. "Kazu!" she shouted, then suddenly he was there almost grabbing the ball from my hands. Before he could grab it, I tossed it over his head, the momentum carrying it past him as he came at me. Twisting out of his way too, I caught the ball behind him, ending up near Keiichi.

"Yay, Kiko!" Keiichi cheered running up to me. I handed the ball to him, and he beamed at me like I had given him the best present ever. Then he stuck his tongue out at Makoto and Kazuhiko, rubbing it in their faces. "Kiko on my team, we no lose!"

I looked down at him and smiled a little. He was a cute kid.

"Oh, yeah? Well, it's two against one! You just can't keep up with us, Keiichi," Makoto taunted.

Keiichi pouted again, and looked up at me. Then he motioned for me to bend down and listen to him. He whispered in my ear, trying to be sneaky.

"No secret plan of yours will work, little brother! Just give up now."

Sighing, I stood up. Did I really want to do this? Not particularly. But at his insistence, I bent down and let him climb on my back. He wrapped his legs around my torso, and an arm around my shoulder while still keeping the ball tucked between my back and his body. I felt foolish.

Keiichi gave a very eerie evil laugh for a child, and announced, "Now I am invisible!"

Kazuhiko burst into laughter, and Makoto just face palmed herself. "It's invincible, Keiichi. And you don't even know what that means."

Keiichi blew a raspberry at her. "First one to the tree wins! But you have to have the ball!" he declared.

I looked back at him. "Hey, now. I didn't agree to that," I whispered to myself because Keiichi wasn't listening. Shrugging and resigning myself, I crouched down to run. Makoto and Kazuhiko took a stance, totally okay with playing along. I myself, still felt ridiculous, but I guess if it made the kid's day, I supposed I could deal with it.

"One. Two. Free!" Keiichi counted. On three I started running, telling him to hold on tight.

After about ten seconds, we reached the tree with some resistance from the other two. They weren't trying very hard though, they were just enjoying themselves.

"Whoo! We win, we win!" Keiichi cheered, getting back on the ground. I laughed as he motioned for me to give him a high five. He was just as pushy as Makoto. "You awesome, Kiko!" he told me. I smiled at him.

"Kiyoko," Hanako called. I looked at the sliding door that was now open. "Your clothes are done, sweetie."

Already? We hadn't been out here that long had we? I looked up at the sky and saw the sky was already starting to set. I was amazed. It hadn't felt like that long. I ran up to the door to get my clothes from Hanako. "Thank you very much." I said bowing a little.

"No problem," she smiled back. Then she headed back towards the kitchen.

"You leaving?" Makoto asked, jogging up to me, Kazuhiko behind her. I nodded. "Alright. Well, thanks for letting me make you come over," she grinned at me.

"See you," Kazuhiko told me.

"Kikooooo!" Keiichi yelled drawing out my name, running at me. He practically tackled my legs, "You can't leave yet Kiko!"

"She has to, Keiichi, now let her go," Makoto told him, holding his hand to pull him back.

"Fine," he pouted, unhappy. Then he turned and pointed a finger up at me. "But you have to come back and play again! Promise!"

"I'll try," I told him, not giving him a yes or no. After that, Makoto walked me to the front door, and told me bye again. Then I was on my way home.

* * *

There were more scrolls left on the table when I got home, a note telling me to bring them to Lady Hokage. After doing that, I lay down in bed, thinking. I thought about Makoto's room, full of stuff and belongings, and compared it to my room, which only had a bed and two pairs of clothes in one of the drawers in the dresser. I thought about how her home was so much more lively and welcoming than anything I had seen before.

_I think I had fun today for the first time, _I thought smiling a little, falling asleep.

* * *

The next week went by fairly quickly. We had to get up early in the morning, which pained me to no end. But everyone had learned just to leave me be for a while until I woke up enough to properly function.

Sensei had gotten us plenty of easy D ranked missions for the week. We had to walk some people's dogs, find a lost cat, and help someone put up a sign for their shop. It was all very easy work, and we usually had most of the day to do whatever we wanted once the mission was over. After every mission, Makoto invited us over to her house for a while. Kazuhiko usually went, saying he needed to be back for dinner. Me? Makoto usually made me go home with her every day, regardless of my protests. She found some excuse everyday to trick me into coming over. Her mother even cooked dinner for me a couple nights. Around the sixth day, out of habit, I started to walk to her house after a mission without really thinking about it. Makoto was trying to come up with the excuse that Keiichi missed me, so I let her think that was the reason I went to her house.

Truthfully, it was just nice to be around other people who were warm and friendly. Not that I would ever admit it to anyone.

More often than not, my parents had sent back scrolls for me to give to Lady Hokage. Sometimes she was in the office, and a few times I saw the other lady, Shizune, in there shaking her fist quietly, grumbling to herself. I just knocked and left the scrolls on Lady Hokage's desk, not wanting to bother her.

I was walking through town, and the people that were used to seeing me waved and said hello. I waved back, greeting them back quietly. I stopped at one of the sweet shops, to try some chocolate bar they had. I had never tasted chocolate until Makoto had made me eat a bite of her chocolate bar she bought. It was delicious! The chocolate was creamy and melted right on my tongue. After buying a small bar, I headed home, looking up at the stars again. It felt rather peaceful.

As I unlocked the door, I kicked off my shoes, breaking off another piece of chocolate to eat.

The house was dark, so when the light in the living room clicked on suddenly, I grabbed a kunai from my pouch and threw it in the direction of the light switch.

My father caught the kunai in his hand, watching me. "Where the hell have you been all day?" he demanded, throwing the kunai downwards. It stuck into the floor with a thud, and then it was silent.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Worry

"Um, I was out on missions, then I walked around the village," I answered immediately, flustered. They were angry. I could see it in their faces. I swallowed down my fear, barely tasting the leftover chocolate in my mouth. "I was j-just getting back from delivering your scrolls to Lady Hokage."

My mother eyed my hand where I was holding the chocolate bar. "That's what you spend all your money on? Sweets? We've been out on S-rank missions, and you're here eating chocolate?" she asked, scary quiet.

If I told her it was the first one I ever bought, she wouldn't believe me. There was nothing I could say to make them happy. Just like usual. "I'm sorry," I tried.

"Oh, you will be," my mother said.

The last thing I heard was the crackling energy of my father's lightning chakra before I blacked out.

* * *

Makoto stretched, walking out of her house. The sun had yet to rise, and the street lamps were still on as she walked down the street. She was a bit tired, but she was good to go for the morning. _Unlike Kiyoko, _Makoto thought. _She was kind of scary in the morning. _ Makoto had learned to just leave Kiyoko alone for a little while in the morning after Kiyoko had shot her a seemingly murderous glare one particular morning.

_Speaking of Kiyoko, I wonder where she is…_

Makoto knew that Kiyoko ended up at this particular intersection every morning at the same time when they had missions. Makoto looked around. Kiyoko was nowhere to be found. _Weird._ After waiting about ten minutes. She watched all the people on the street, trying not to look creepy as she stood there. She waved at all of them, asking how they were that morning. _Maybe she got sick…_

After another minute of waiting, she headed towards the tree to meet Hisoka Sensei and Kazu.

"Morning, guys!" she yelled, running up the hill.

Hisoka Sensei looked at her funny. "Where's Kiyoko?"

Makoto shrugged, putting her hands up. "No clue. She never walked by this morning. She was at my house yesterday after the mission. Maybe she got sick or something."

Hisoka Sensei looked over in the general direction of the apartments nearby where he knew Kiyoko lived. His thoughts were tinged with suspicion, but with not having any kind of evidence otherwise, he let it go for the day. Giving the two remaining team members their mission, to pull weeds in someone's garden, they set off.

* * *

Two more days went by, with no Kiyoko, and Makoto was seriously starting to freak out. She hadn't heard a word from Kiyoko, not that she expected much. Kiyoko rarely spoke more than a few words at a time, but Makoto could usually tell what she was thinking. Not that it stopped her from asking Kiyoko a thousand questions to get her to talk.

Makoto started to pace around her room, stopping to look at her brother's picture on the wall. Makoto remembered when she used to be the quiet, shy girl who got teased every now and then. Then her brother (who was way more outgoing that herself), had broke her out of it, and had helped her find her own person. Granted, she wasn't nearly as bad as Kiyoko, but Makoto would work on her. The task wouldn't be completed in a day. _I can be patient, _Makoto thought with an almost evil grin.

Slipping on her sandals, Makoto left her house for the new missions for the day.

_If only I knew where she'd live. Then I'd go to her, but I never even asked where she lived. I'm such a bad friend…_

She made it to where Kiyoko usually showed up, but was worried all over again when she didn't see her. After rounding the corner leading down Kiyoko's way, Makoto stopped.

_It was Kiyoko! She's fine, thankfully. She better have a good excuse for being gone for three days, _Makoto thought. "Kiyoko!" she shouted, not even caring if Kiyoko glared at her for being so loud so early in the morning.

Kiyoko didn't respond in any way. She was looking at the ground in front of her, not paying attention to anything around her. Kiyoko slowed when she saw Makoto (or more precisely, her feet), but didn't do anything else. Makoto waited for a glare, a sigh, a snort of irritation…anything really. But there was nothing.

"Where've you been, Kiyoko? We were all worried about you," Makoto continued, walking next to Kiyoko. Silence greeted her. Kiyoko didn't even look up from the ground. "So I decided a name for the little kitten Kazu found," Makoto continued, undeterred by the silence. "His name is officially Suko."

Silence again. Makoto wanted to sigh, usually Kiyoko responded with some kind of look or noise. _Well, fine, _Makoto thought boldly. _How about this? _

Makoto grabbed Kiyoko's shoulder, spinning her to look in her direction. Kiyoko immediately tensed up, and her legs buckled under her. She barely managed to catch herself before falling to the ground, while Makoto stood there frozen in surprise. She hadn't grabbed her that hard. Was Kiyoko still not feeling well? Did someone hurt her? Kiyoko's breathing was quick and shallow as she snatched her arm away from Makoto, and continued walking down the street. Makoto just watched her for a minute.

_What on earth happened to her? _

Makoto thought she was starting to open up. The girl who barely spoke and was very adult-like in some ways, actually had a paint fight with the team and played with Keiichi. She didn't look like she enjoyed it much, but Makoto couldn't believe she actually _played. _Even if it was once. Makoto thought she had been getting somewhere with her. Now Kiyoko was worse than when Makoto met her.

Anger flowed through Makoto on Kiyoko's behalf. If someone had hurt her friend, she would make sure they paid. And until she found out who, Makoto was going to look out for her friend. No matter what it took.


	15. Chapter 15

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Chapter 15 Repercussions

Pain. That's all that pulsed through my body. Dull pain, sharp pain, dizzying pain; It was taking all my concentration to make sure I didn't stumble into a wall or fall flat on my face. I couldn't move for the past two days, and where I could've laid in bed recovering today, I didn't want to risk any more time with my parents for a while. After making sure I had a thorough "lesson in discipline", they left me in my room on the floor. At that point, I had found some place inside my head to stop feeling anything. Then they had gone out on a mission the next day. I was too exhausted to even feel a tiny bit relieved.

I knew Makoto was angry at my ignoring her. I could tell by her short, quick strides down the street, but I just couldn't deal with it at the moment. She could be mad all she wanted, it was probably for the best anyway. I would never be a good friend, or "come out of my shell" as she thought I would. She really should just give up on me.

I heard Kazuhiko's voice call out to us as he ran down the hill. I prayed he didn't try to touch me like Makoto had. That grip on my shoulder almost crippled me to the ground and made me see spots in my vision. I wore a dark long sleeve shirt I bought, and my skin tight pants I wore on the night into the village, so no one could see the bruises. Or the rest of the marks on my body. That way no one would ask questions I didn't feel like answering.

"You alright, Kiyoko? Have you been sick? I have some general medicine if you want it," Kazuhiko offered, trying to dip down into my line of vision. I just kept my eyes on the ground. If only I was sick. Makoto made some motion towards him that I didn't quite catch, and she grabbed him and walked about ten feet away. I could hear her whispering to him, but I couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Kiyoko," Hisoka Sensei said seriously, stopping in front of me.

I didn't respond, didn't even look up at him. I was afraid they'd see it, the pain and fear in my eyes. See what I had gone through. What would they do? They couldn't help me. If I told, it would only make the situation worse. It had always been like that. I was by myself.

"Kiyoko," Sensei said again, more sternly that time.

I managed to drag my eyes up to the center of his vest.

I heard an almost silent sigh, and he pushed a hand through his hair. "Take it easy today, Kiyoko. I mean it." He called the other two back, but before they came back he said, "And if you need anything, let me know. I am here to help, and not just with training."

Makoto still had her quick, angry strides as she walked back. I noticed Kazuhiko putting a little more force into his steps than normal.

_Great, they're both are mad at me. They hate me…_

I realized then that I kind of cared what they thought about me. We may not have had a whole lot of time with each other, but they were what I thought friends would be like. I pushed my feelings down on the matter, mentally going back to being aloof. I didn't care about their opinions two weeks ago, I wouldn't now. I didn't care what they thought… They befriended me quickly, they could find another friend. I'd be fine alone. I had always been and it hadn't bothered me before. I'd make it again.

_Yeah, right… _

Hisoka Sensei lead us through town to our next mission. We had to help a new local store hand out flyers and give out free samples of some of their stuff. It was a herb store, with different lotions and concoctions. I noticed Sensei was walking a bit more slowly, and I mentally gave him thanks. I could already feel my body breaking out in a sweat just from walking.

After we arrived, one of us had to hand out flyers, one had to hand out samples, and one had to keep track of the samples we give away. Sensei handed Kazuhiko the flyers, Makoto the samples, and handed me the clip board and a pen. He then "discreetly" found me a stool to sit on, and pushed it towards me. "Sit," he told me, his voice demanding yet somehow kind. I obeyed with little hesitation.

Makoto and Kazuhiko seemed fine as they handed out supplies, and when they relayed what they had given away, they made their words short and direct. I just wrote down what they told me.

* * *

The mission passed by quietly. When we got our money for the mission, Hisoka Sensei gave us each our own share and then disappeared quickly. As I walked, Makoto and Kazuhiko walked in front of me, talking to each other quietly. She didn't even try to invite me to her house.

It was for the best.

_Liar._

After arriving home, I found that my parents were gone again. I sent a silent thanks to whoever made that happen. There were scrolls once again on the table, waiting for me to give them to Lady Hokage. I had a momentary inner debate on rather I wanted to not deliver the scrolls, but decided that I didn't want to find out what would happen if I didn't. Gritting my teeth, I ignored the dull pain and started walking.

Some of the usual people on the street waved and smiled at me, but I didn't wave back. I just stayed focused on the ground. Part of me felt bad for ignoring them. They hadn't done anything to me.

Walking up the stairs to the Hokage's office was very difficult. I had to stop a couple times as the pain had taken my breath away. My legs were threatening to buckle under as I reached the top of the stairs. After taking a minute break trying to get my breathing under control, I shuffled my way to the Hokage's office door. I knocked quietly.

There was a couple second pause before Lady Hokage said "Come in."

I entered and saw Hisoka Sensei standing in there. He was facing me, face carefully blank. I quickly looked away and walked up to Lady Hokage's desk.

"Hello, Kiyoko," she told me. "More scrolls?"

I nodded and handed them over. As soon as she went to grab the scrolls, she grasped my wrist in a firm grip. Suddenly, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Darkness falling over me.

* * *

Tsunade watched as the girl fell asleep. Hisoka caught her as she fell. She had seen how weak the girl was as soon as she walked in the door. She could see how the girl was struggling just to walk the ten feet from the door to the desk.

"Any idea how she got that injured?" Tsunade asked Hisoka.

He shook his head. "No, Lady Hokage. She was fine four days ago. She was even communicating with the team instead of remaining silent and to herself. Then she was absent for three days, and she came back like this. It's like she's trapped herself inside her head. She won't even respond when anyone says anything to her."

"I see," Tsunade exhaled. She stood up and walked over to the small child in Hisoka's arms. Gathering just enough chakra to cover her palm, she rested her hand over Kiyoko's chest. Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed just as fast. The girl had several areas of bruising on her body, several torn muscles, and a couple near broken bones. There was little gatherings of dead cells in spots all over her body, signaling burns. What on earth happened to this child?

Tsunade sent her chakra through the girl's body, making her cells repair and heal themselves quicker. She wouldn't heal her completely. That would take time.

"Take her home, Hisoka. I sent her parents out on another mission with the ANBU, so she's home alone," Tsunade ordered him. Hisoka picked the girl up and cradled her gently, trying not to jostle her. "As for your request, give me until morning. I'll find one for you."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade. Goodnight." Then Hisoka walked out with the girl, leaving Tsunade staring after them.

_Something isn't right_, she thought. But she would definitely figure it out.


	16. Chapter 16

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Chapter 16 A C-Rank Mission

I woke up in my bed. How I got here, I had no clue. I couldn't remember anything past going to the Hokage building. What happened?

Thankfully, my body was much less sore and pain filled than it had been yesterday. I could actually function without wanting to stop and curl into a ball. Some of my muscles were sore, but after stretching a bit, I could live with it. Feeling much better, I stood in a hot shower letting the water loosen my muscles even more. After drying myself off, I noticed most of the bruises had healed. Or had at least vanished enough to where I could feel them but they couldn't be seen.

Finding my pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I got dressed. I was still home alone so I cooked me a quick breakfast. Hisoka sensei had told us to meet him again that morning, but (thankfully) the meeting time was a few hours past daybreak.

I left the house plenty of time before the meeting time. I just didn't want to be in that house anymore. It was suffocating almost. Every once in a while, a flash of my parents would flash into my mind. The memories of the pain… Feeling helpless… I didn't like it. I never wanted to go back. But what I wanted didn't matter. I had nowhere else to go.

People walked by me on the street, waving and smiling like normal. I still didn't respond to them. I saw Makoto pass the corner at the end of the street. She actually waited for me, but she didn't say anything. She was probably still angry at me.

Which made me a bit angry after thinking about it. How dare she be mad at me? Yes, I ignored her, but I had other things going on in my life. Things she couldn't even begin to imagine. She had a nice, perfect life I would never have. She told me we were friends! Not that I really acted like one, I didn't know how, but I didn't think friends randomly stopped socializing with the other person for no reason.

I sighed, frustrated. I told myself I wouldn't care anymore, dang it. _Get over it_, I told myself.

We didn't see Kazuhiko on the way to the meeting place. He was already at the tree though, when we arrived in silence. Hisoka Sensei was too.

"Morning guys, I have some news for you," he told us, smiling. "Lady Tsunade has decided to give us a C-rank mission."

"What mission?" Kazuhiko asked.

"Well kiddies, we are to escort someone back to the Land of Earth. It'll be a four day mission. Two days there, and two days back. I want you to go and pack some extra clothes and weapons. It may be a C-rank, but sometimes things do go wrong, so I want you prepared. Understand?" he told us. Makoto was excited, I could tell by her bouncing on her toes. Kazuhiko was smiling in excitement. I was happy to not be stuck in the same house with my parents for four days. They were on a mission, but they could be back any day.

"We're leaving in thirty minutes. I'll be waiting at the front gate. Go and get your stuff packed," Hisoka Sensei told us. Makoto and Kazuhiko darted off, running to their houses. I didn't run, but I did walk a bit quicker. I didn't have much to pack anyway. I'd have to stop and buy a bag though.

I went into the store where we had the paint fight. The old woman recognized me immediately and came up to me. "Hello again," she greeted, stretching her hand out to me. I smiled at her politely, shaking her hand a little. The action was still odd to me. "What can I help you with today?"

I looked around the store, trying to find the bags. "I need a bag."

The woman smiled at me, "They're right over here." She lead the lead, passing a few aisles of clothes. I nodded my thank you to her, and she went back to the counter. I picked out a simple brown back pack, with one strap that went across the chest. It wasn't the cheapest one, but it had more space and pockets than some of the other ones did.

"How've you been?" the woman asked me once I had paid.

I shrugged, "Good." _Oh, you know… Getting beat by the parents, in constant pain. The usual._

"Well, if you need anything, please let me know. You seem like a good kid," she told me, smiling. She had wrinkles around her eyes and mouth when she smiled.

I nodded, and headed out of the store.

* * *

I made it to the front gate before Makoto and Kazuhiko. Sensei was leaning against the gate, drawing something in his sketchpad. At my arrival, he looked up and smiled at me. "You're early Kiyoko, do you have everything you need?"

I nodded, adjusting the bag on my shoulder.

"Good," Sensei replied, going back to his drawing. I tried to peek at what he was drawing, but I couldn't get a good enough look. He was far taller than I was and had the sketchbook tilted upward.

Kazuhiko arrived about five minutes after I did. He offered me a small smile as he approached.

Hisoka Sensei put his sketchbook up suddenly and turned to us. "Where is Makoto?"

Kazuhiko shrugged.

"She's-" Sensei started to say.

"Waaaaait!" Makoto's voice shrieked. She was sprinting towards us, holding onto the straps of her back pack. Her short blonde hair looked wild and crazy, like she had run all the way here. "I'm sorry I'm late," she panted, bending over to put her hands on her knees. "My mother kept telling me to be careful and handing me more stuff to take. Then my brother attacked me again," she explained through her panting.

"It's alright Makoto, you're actually right on time. Barely, but on time regardless," Sensei told her, smiling.

"Phew," she exhaled. Then she shot back up, grabbing her straps again. "Then let's get on with our mission!" she declared, excited again. Kazuhiko agreed, and Sensei laughed at her enthusiasm.

Kazuhiko looked around, confused. "Wait, Sensei, where's the client?"

"He's in a small nearby village. He had the request delivered, and we're to meet him on the way, and escort him from there until we reach the Land of Earth. They're sending their own shinobi to meet us in two days at the border," Sensei explained, starting to walk.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 Friends

The mission passed by pretty quickly. The woman we were escorting was okay as far as attitudes go. She helped us set up camp for the night on the way there, but complained she didn't like "sleeping like a dog". I didn't know what her problem was, but we all kind of ignored her complaining.

Makoto and Kazuhiko hadn't said anything to me. Only small smiles and general looks. Was it weird that I missed her thousands of pointless questions? The more I thought about it the more it annoyed me; and I thought about it a lot.

The Earth shinobi gave us our thanks when we handed the lady over to them at the border. Apparently, the lady was the great grandchild of one of the feudal lords. Which explained why she probably wasn't used to sleeping outside on the ground. The shinobi kept staring at me, like they were trying to figure out who I was. I couldn't remember a time I was ever in the Land of Earth, so I just looked away when they kept staring inconspicuously.

After turning around and heading back, it had started to rain. Lightning raced across the sky, thunder booming not long after. My feet were covered in mud, not to mention my pants. The rain only got worse, and after passing a small cave, Sensei suggested we rest and wait for the rain to slow.

There was an almost awkward silence as we all huddled in the cave. We didn't have a fire: we couldn't find any wood that was anywhere near dry enough to actually catch on fire. Laying any extra layers we had at the back of the cave, we all sat there. Quietly. It was horrible. Sensei pulled out his sketchbook so he had something to do. I looked at him in envy. When Makoto asked him how his sketchbook wasn't a "soggy mess of paper", he told her he had water proofed his bag for this kind of situation.

Makoto and Kazuhiko kept looking at each other, then at me, then back at each other. It was quite annoying, and only brought back the anger that I had been festering quietly. Finally, after about ten more minutes of those looks and the silence, I looked at Makoto. "Are you angry with me?" I asked bluntly. As soon as I said it, I regretted it. At her dumbfounded face, I realized I should've just kept my mouth shut. But I guess my mouth wasn't connected to my brain, because I kept talking. "If you are, you should just tell me, and stop ignoring me. I don't like it, and would appreciate if you didn't act like I wasn't around except when you stare at me. I've told you numerous times I don't like to be stared at." A slight pause. "And what about you?" I asked, looking at Kazuhiko quickly. My voice had slowly went from a whisper, to almost yelling. By the end of my mini rant I had never planned, I was breathing heavily. I don't think I had ever yelled at anyone before.

Makoto and Kazuhiko stared at me, wide eyed and completely flabbergasted at me. Hisoka Sensei actually dropped his sketchbook into his lap to give me the same look. After they stared at me for a few more silent moments that felt like eternity, I just pulled my legs up to my chest. "Never mind. Forget I said anything." What the heck did I just do? I panicked inwardly. I picked the worst time to finally let my agitation get the better of me. Now things were just more awkward than before. _Perfect_, I thought sarcastically.

"Kiyoko," Makoto started slowly, like she didn't know quite what to say. Her mouth opened a couple times, but no sound came out. She kept looking at anything but me. Then she shook her head at herself, "You know what, I'm not going to tip toe around it." She looked at me directly in the eyes, blonde hair whipping across her forehead as she did. "Of course we're not mad. How could you think we're mad at you? That's insane! After the other day when you came back, you've been out of it. Obviously, something happened and you didn't want to talk about it." She pointed at Kazuhiko. "Him and my mother decided I shouldn't pester you about it, because let's be honest, I wanted to shake you and make you tell me. But they told me that wouldn't be the best, so I decided not to say anything. They said you needed 'some time to yourself', so I gave it to you. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever done, keeping quiet and not being my usual self," she explained, getting a bit loud herself. Although, it wasn't out of the norm for her. "Jeez, we let you be for a couple days and this is what you start to think. I told you. We. Are. Friends. Get it through your head already." Then she crossed her arms, and nodded her head, proud of herself.

I just stared at her in shock.

"We were never mad, Kiyoko," Kazuhiko told me, giving me a small smile. "We thought you'd come to us whenever you decided you needed to talk or need our help." Then his face became serious. "As for whoever hurt you, and don't try to deny it, it was pretty obvious. We decided we'd watch you, and try to figure out who did it."

It felt like ice had raced through my veins. They didn't figure it out did they?

"We couldn't figure it out," Kazuhiko continued, and relief washed over me. "Even so, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to, but we are here to help."

"_You _may not make her tell," Makoto scoffed quietly, arms still crossed. "Personally, I want to know, so I know who to start smacking."

I chuckled at her, at the mental image of her smacking my parents. I'd never let it actually happen, but it was funny to picture. In many ways, Makoto and I were completely different. Perhaps that was why we worked well on a team. I could never truly know what she was thinking, for she was so different and odd, but I could guess for the most part. Deciding I wouldn't assume what she thought ever again, I gave her a genuine smile. Although, it felt strange actually looking at her in the eyes and having a conversation. It was a good strange though. All of us made up a pretty balanced team in every aspect.

"Friends?" Kazuhiko said, putting his hand out curled into a fist.

"Friends? Why the question?" Makoto demanded, "I already said, and very clearly so no one was confused, that we all are friends. Seriously, not five minutes ago I said it, Kazu. Are you having hearing problems, short term memory loss?" she asked, teasing.

"Just put your hand out already, Makoto," Kazuhiko laughed, shaking his head at her.

She gave him a smirk, and stuck her hand out.

Feeling better than I had in a while, I stuck my fist out slowly, knocking it against theirs. Sensei's hand bumped against ours. He gave us a warm smile, seemingly happy things were back to normal. "And don't forget about me. We're all on the same team, if one of us has a problem, we all have a problem. We resolve it together, and we're there for each other."

"Of course," Makoto said like he had told her the sky was blue. Like it was something so fundamental we should all know it already.

After we all had our moment, a sparkling kunai came whipping in from the mouth of the cave.

_Paper bomb, _I thought instantly, already grabbing for Makoto's and Kazuhiko's hands and darting towards the mouth of the cave. I saw Sensei making hand signs in a blur as he jumped towards us. I made it to the edge of the mouth of the cave before the paper bomb exploded. The force knocked us forward and onto our stomachs, making us slide a few feet in the mud. I jumped back up, going to grab a kunai from my leg. When I didn't feel a bag, only my leg, I cursed at myself. I had taken it off when we were in the cave to dry off. It was still pouring outside. _So much for drying off._

Sensei appeared in front of us, his left sleeve burnt and half gone. He appeared otherwise unharmed. After a measuring look to see how we were, we all nodded we were fine. Makoto and Kazuhiko grabbed weapons, standing back to back with me. Sensei tried to scan the surrounding area, but the pouring rain made it hard. I didn't think the rain was caused by a jutsu, although it was horrible timing. Luck definitely wasn't on our side.

Three men appeared, coming up from the ground in a jutsu. They wore red clothes, one with one long red sleeve and the other two with two long red sleeves. Their pants, were the same kind of red that looked a bit faded. Hidden Rock Village shinobi. What did they want?

"We're not here to fight," one of them announced. He had to almost shout over the sound of the rain.

"We just want her," the man in the middle said, pointing at me.

_Me?_

"If you hand her over, we'll leave," the one on the right said.

I made a fist with my hand, wishing I had a kunai.

"What for?" Sensei demanded. His body was tensed like a snake about to strike.

"She infiltrated our village a while back, stealing intel, not to mention destroying a small part of it," the one in the middle told us. He seemed rather calm.

I, on the other hand, was mentally freaking out. What the heck did they mean I _infiltrated _ their village? I had never been to the Land of Earth before until half a day ago.

"And you're sure it was this girl?" Sensei asked, still tense.

"Yes, we saw her when she stole our information. She looks a bit older now, but it is definitely her," the man in the middle said again.

I saw Makoto and Kazuhiko look at me in confusion. Sensei didn't take his eyes off of the three Stone shinobi. I just stood there in shock. _They obviously had the wrong person. They were crazy._ _There's no way… Why are people always after me lately?_


	18. Chapter 18

Hey again! Holy cow I've reached 18 chapters! I didn't think I would! Anyway, please leave a review! And if you don't, then I hope you at least enjoy it! Here ya go!

Chapter 18 Explanations

"Yes, Lady Hokage?"

Tsunade was standing above the village, above the stone heads of the great Hokages of the past, and her own face. She looked at them, Kiyoko's parents, not caring if they saw the suspicion there. Calling them up to meet her, she was going to get answers. She was done trying to figure out on her own whatever just didn't sit right with them. Tsunade preferred the more direct method anyway.

"What happened to your daughter the other day?" Tsunade asked, looking directly at them. She could sense several ANBU waiting around the immediate area, ready to strike if something went amiss.

Ayano and Rokuro shared a look. Then her mother sighed. "We… we had to restrain her, Lady Hokage," she answered respectfully.

"Why?" Tsunade demanded.

"You're aware our kekkei genkai has…side effects, yes?" Ayano asked.

"Of course, just spit it out already," she replied, narrowing her eyes.

"The alternate ego, the madness that comes with using the kekkei genkai, affects everyone differently, Lady Hokage. Some get effected earlier, some later. Others may have more of a resistance to it," Ayano explained.

"I believe I asked you to get to the point," Tsunade said, deadly calm. She didn't have much patience to begin with, and Ayano was testing it already.

"Kiyoko… She's one of the unfortunate ones. The madness has affected her more intensely than most," Ayano continued. "She goes into fits and rages, not able to stop herself. She usually snaps out of it, not remembering anything, but we usually have to restrain her or use methods to keep her from hurting anyone or herself."

"Why would you want her in the academy then? If she's a potential danger to others and herself?" Tsunade asked. If this was true, than it was truly unfortunate for the girl. But if the girl was a danger and had no control, she would have to be dealt with. Even if she was but a child.

"We had hoped being around other kids would keep her distracted, keep her focused on what was happening, instead of the madness," Rokuro interjected. "Most of the time, she can snap herself out of it before it even becomes a threat. Other times… Like with past villages," he gave a slight shudder.

_Past villages? _Tsunade wondered.

At her look, Ayano continued. "The past few villages we have lived in, Kiyoko has gone into these rages, unable to stop herself, and killed a few people while destroying everything in sight." Ayano looked down in shame. "We've stopped her before, and we know it'll only get worse, but we just can't bring ourselves to-to," Ayano stopped herself, holding back a sob.

"It sounds horrible, but we can't stand to be around her. If we are, we have to think about what we should do, but we just can't do it. We can't kill our daughter," Rokuro added, distressed too.

"She's stronger than most children, exceedingly proficient in genjutsu. That's what makes her so tough to restrain," Ayano said. "Since she is proficient at genjutsu, she knows how to counter it so most of the time, my genjutsu or kekkei genkai can be potentially cancelled out, or at least become less effective. We usually have to rely on our ninjutsu and taijutsu to control her."

Tsunade thought about what they said. If everything they said was truth, then no matter how much they wished against it, Kiyoko would have to be dealt with. Tsunade would have to wait until Hisoka returned with his team, though, before she proceeded. That was if they were telling the truth, though their story had seemed plausible. She thought about Kiyoko, her actions, her behaviors. She was always so quiet and closed off. Did she know of the madness her parents had talked about? She had seemed fine when she would deliver scrolls to the office. Granted, she was still quiet than most children. Not that Tsunade had a lot of experience with children, other than Nowaki, Naruto, and recently Sakura. But even then, they were teenagers, not ten years old.

Tsunade exhaled deeply, preparing herself for what was to come. _Sometimes being Hokage is such a pain. _She almost longed for her old days of gambling and drinking aimlessly. But she now had a job to do, an important job she had accepted, and she would do it.


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I've been moving, and then trying to find a new job is worse... not fun at all. Plus, I just haven't been in a writing mood in a while so reviews or PMs would be appreciated. Anyway, I hope you like it of course. Here ya go!

Chapter 19 The Rock Shinobi

I clenched my fists tighter. These Rock shinobi were thoroughly convinced it was me who infiltrated their village. They were similar to the assassins that were after me a while back. It didn't seem like anything I said would change their mind, but I couldn't just kill them. That could cause problems between the Land of Earth and Fire.

"Just hand her over, and we'll be on our way," one of the Rock shinobi said again.

"No," Sensei said simply.

One of them sighed, but it could be barely heard over the pouring rain. "Fine then. We'll have to take her under orders from our Lord Tsuchikage." The three threw a few kunai at us. Sensei deflected the kunai with one of his own, and launched his at the Rock shinobi. The ninja jumped out of the way, and up into the trees. Sensei jumped up and followed, creating hand signs quickly. The Rock shinobi that was in the middle of the three, jumped down towards Makoto, Kazuhiko, and I. We all jumped backwards, sliding in the mud.

Forget trying to pretend to be weaker than I was. I wasn't going to let Makoto and Kazuhiko get hurt because these shinobi were after me. Besides, they were probably going to find out sooner or later. At least that's what I told myself.

The Rock shinobi ran at me and I darted towards him. He grabbed some shuriken from his pouch on his left leg and launched them at me. Using the mud, I slid on the ground, right leg first, underneath the projectiles and ended up a few feet in front of the ninja. He jumped at me, a kunai in hand. After dodging the kunai as he kept trying to slice me with it, I noticed a huge fire ball shooting towards me and the Rock shinobi. Gathering chakra on the soles of my feet, I launched myself up into the trees, grabbing one of the branches of a tree with my chakra and hanging upside down. The Rock shinobi looked behind him as the immediate area was lit up by the fire ball, but before he could jump out of the way, the fireball engulfed him completely.

There was a slight shout before the fire ball disintegrated into nothing. The man's body turned into rocks and mud, crumbling to the ground. An earth clone.

Where was the real one? I wondered, looking around quickly. He could be anywhere in the trees or the ground-

More sparkling kunai came flying in my direction through the trees. Using the branch I was hanging on, I pushed myself back through the trees. I felt a thin wire break as I flew backwards through the trees. Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted, causing my ears to ring with its intensity. The trees that I was headed towards, snapped in half, sending shards of bark flying through the air. The broken tops of the trees fell in my direction. Hurrying, I created a clone, and used the clones body to push myself down towards the ground again. Water and mud splashed as I hit the ground hard, my legs almost sliding out from under me. This mud was really starting to suck. Looking up at the tops of the trees that were falling, I watched as my clone vanished and looked around for the jutsu caster.

Why couldn't it stop raining? I thought, looking around, seeing Makoto and Kazuhiko running towards me. I heard more explosions a few yards away where Sensei was fighting the other two ninja. I hoped Hisoka Sensei was alright. As I looked at Makoto and Kazuhiko again, I noticed them flinging shuriken in my direction. I ducked as I heard a few quiet _ping _sounds above my head. Looking behind me at the ground I found a few senbon needles sticking up through the mud.

Makoto and Kazuhiko made it to me, holding up kunai in a defensive stance.

"You alright?" Makoto asked me, looking around.

I nodded, "So far." Kazuhiko nodded his okay, and I turned my back to them. "If I could catch him in a genjutsu this would be over," I said quietly, barely over the rain. Thunder boomed and lightning streaked across the sky. Suddenly, three earth clones appeared before us from the ground and attacked us with kunai knives. I gathered chakra into my hand, dodged to the right, and punched the clone right in the face, blasting through the mud and rock. The clone, only having half its face, turned back into muddy rock and crumbled. Looking over, I saw Kazuhiko managed to dodge the kunai and knock his clone back with enough force that it broke apart. Makoto dodged her clone's kunai, but before she could destroy it with a jutsu, the clone grabbed her and pinned her to the ground. Her face was pressed against the mud by the clone's knee as he kneeled on her back, holding a kunai to her throat.

Taking a small step to the right, I felt a kunai in the mud. But before I could grab it, the clone pressed the kunai against Makoto's throat until a small cut was formed. A small sliver of blood ran down. Makoto looked at us, panicked. "Don't move now, or this girl dies."

Kazuhiko and I froze in place. I glanced over at Kazuhiko, wishing that we had time for him to use a jutsu of his. He shot me a quick glance, and a ever so slight shake of his head. "No time," he murmured, barely moving his lips. He meant he wouldn't have time for the jutsu to reach the clone and Makoto without Makoto losing her life. Crap.

More loud noises came from the left, signaling the fighting of Hisoka Sensei and the other two Rock ninja. A huge gust of wind blew from the direction of their fighting, pushing us all a few inches to the right. Kazuhiko and I put our arms up to try and block the tremendous gust of wind. The trees and rain tilted sideways slightly. The earth clone that had Makoto was pushed forward over Makoto's head, moving the kunai away from her throat.

"Now Kazuhiko," I demanded, grabbing the kunai from the mud.

"But Makoto-" he started.

"Just trust me," I told him. "Now!" I turned and ran backwards towards a big tree.

Kazuhiko immediately went into making hand signs, then he slapped his hands to the mud. "Earth Style: Mudslide jutsu!" A huge rippling wave of mud exploded forward from Kazuhiko. The clone managed to catch himself before being pushed over by another gust of wind, but he didn't have time to protect himself from the wave of mud that was headed straight for him.

Running at the tree, and using my chakra, I ran up a few feet of the tree and pushed myself off, flying towards Makoto and the clone faster than I could have if I was in the mud. I shot towards them faster than a kunai. The clone raised his arm to kill Makoto before the mud wave reached him, but another gust of wind jarred him. As he brought the kunai down, he missed any fatal areas, but managed to stab her in the back of the left shoulder. I grabbed the clone with my right hand and yanked him backwards towards the wave, while I gathered Makoto under my left arm, and jumped up into the trees.

I watched as the clone crumbled, blending in with the mud Kazuhiko threw at him.

"Thanks," Makoto chuckled shakily, grabbing her left shoulder.

Kazuhiko looked up at us and smiled. I gestured at him, signaling we were alright. As I looked over, Makoto jumped up and pushed me off the branch of the tree we were standing on. Twisting as I fell, I saw a small sword puncture through Makoto's stomach, lightning surging down the blade. Her mouth opened in a silent scream before the ninja kicked her off of his sword. I hit the ground hard, feet sliding out from under me. Makoto fell face first towards the ground, not moving at all. Thankfully, Kazuhiko had already started forward to catch her.

The ninja jumped down, ready to strike Kazuhiko as he reached to catch Makoto, but I threw my kunai I picked up, at him. Kazuhiko managed to catch Makoto before the Rock ninja reached them. The ninja deflected the kunai easily enough before landing softly about four feet away. Making hand signs that blurred together, I cast a genjutsu on the ninja. The ninja suddenly froze, standing completely still. Kazuhiko looked back at me, his hair plastered across his forehead. Makoto was in his arms, coughing blood down her face. The rain mixed with the blood, leaving a larger than normal puddle of blood forming around us.

Kazuhiko pulled some bandages out of his pouch quickly and tried to cover up Makoto's wounds. Then he put his hands over her wound and his hands started to slightly glow a faded green color. He knew how to heal already? The blood that was pouring from Makoto's wound slowed, but still flowed down her body. After a few seconds, Kazuhiko's hands stopped glowing and he started to pant.

He couldn't keep it up for long, it seemed. Makoto made a sickening wet coughing sound in her throat, and I focused my attention on the Rock shinobi again. He was still frozen in place, eyes unseeing and blank. I grabbed the sword out of his hand and ran him through the middle like he did to Makoto. Blood trickled down his mouth and his legs gave out, but he otherwise remained still. Gathering chakra in my leg for a moment, I kicked the sword further into his torso, pushing the hilt into his body, knocking him back through the trees about fifteen feet. He slid into a tree, his limbs flailing as he landed on his stomach. The sword, now covered in watery blood, shined in the flashes of lightning.

_So much for not killing them, _I thought sarcastically. Although, I couldn't really bring myself to care that much.

Turning back to Makoto, Hisoka Sensei suddenly jumped down near us. He looked a bit clumsy, as if his body wasn't responding correctly. "What happened?" Sensei asked, his jerky movements bringing him closer to us.

"Makoto's been stabbed," I told him quickly. Kazuhiko's hands glowed again, weaker this time, and didn't last long at all. "What happened to you?" I asked Hisoka Sensei.

Rain poured down him as he grabbed the back of his neck. "One of them poisoned me with some senbon needles. My body isn't responding the way I want. One of the shinobi got away, but I'm sure he's around here-" Hisoka Sensei stopped mid-sentence, and leapt in front of us. More _ping _sounds filled my ears as two more Rock shinobi appeared. One of them was one of the original three Rock shinobi, and the other was a new one I hadn't seen. He must've been lying in wait for us to get worn down.

Hisoka Sensei fell to his knees, yanking two more senbon out of his arm. His breath became labored and the kunai he had grabbed from his leg pouch shook unsteadily as he held it. Hisoka Sensei kneeled in front of us, Kazuhiko holding Makoto and trying to staunch her wounds in the middle, and me in the back. How the heck were we going to get out of this?


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Cornered

The two Rock shinobi grinned at us. Hisoka Sensei dropped his kunai and leaned forward on his hands, his breathing horribly labored. It almost sounded like he was trying to breathe while being choked.

"Sensei," Kazuhiko said, reaching back into his leg pouch.

The new Rock ninja threw a shuriken up towards the trees, slicing through a thin wire, causing dozens of kunai to rain down on us. Looking up, I stood there frozen. There was no way I could get us all out of the way in time. I didn't have any weapon to deflect even one of the kunai flying towards us. I didn't have any ninjutsu to use to protect us, and I couldn't just jump out of the way and leave them there to die. We were a team; Fight together, die together I supposed. Besides, the Rock shinobi were here for me.

"Earth style: Earth Dome jutsu!"

Two big curved walls of earth appeared out of the ground and trapped us in a bubble of hardened mud and rock. I looked down at Kazuhiko, who went back to putting pressure onto Makoto's wound. I could hear dulled thuds as the kunai hit the earth barrier.

"Good job, Kazuhiko," Hisoka Sensei panted, grabbing his chest. Then he fell forward and onto his side, unconscious.

"Kiyoko, put pressure on Makoto's wound," Kazuhiko demanded, reaching back into his leg pouch. Taking out a syringe, he jammed it into Hisoka Sensei's arm. "It's a basic antidote for most usual poisons. We need to get back to the village, though. Although, how…" he trailed off. He, too, was breathing heavily, and running low on chakra most likely.

"Kazuhiko, do you have enough chakra for a clone?" I asked him, pressing down on Makoto's stomach. He looked at me, trying to figure out where I was going with my statement.

"Just barely, why?" he answered, checking Hisoka Sensei's pulse, turning him onto his back.

"I'll distract them while you take Makoto and Sensei and run," I told him. I had enough chakra to use a genjutsu to trap the two ninja for a little bit. Hopefully Kazuhiko could get everyone away from here.

"But what about you?" he asked.

"I'll be alright," I told him. It was probably the truth. "I'll trap them in a genjutsu while you get away."

"And what happens when you run out of chakra, you idiot?" he demanded, frustrated at our situation. He pushed his hair back from his face, slicking it back. "They're after you anyway."

"It'll be fine, Kazuhiko," I told him, trying to give him a reassuring smile. "It's the only way. Or we can all die here. I don't plan on dying here, do you?" He shook his head. I could tell he absolutely did not like having to leave me behind, which is why I had to stay there. Makoto risked her life to push me out of the way of that sword, Kazuhiko would rather fight a hopeless battle than leave me behind, those were the reasons I was okay with risking myself by staying behind. That's what friends did, right? They protected each other.

Putting his hands together, Kazuhiko created a clone and maneuvered Hisoka Sensei's arm over his shoulders, propping him up off the ground. Kazuhiko then picked up Makoto carefully. Then he looked at me, silently resolved to doing his part.

"Lend me a kunai?" I asked him, giving him a small smile.

He reached down into his pocket and handed me one. "Be careful, Kiyoko."

I nodded at him.

The earth dome crumbled into chunks and dissolved back into the ground. Kazuhiko shot me one last look before running off as quickly as he could manage while carrying the two.

Sizing up the two Rock shinobi I stood there completely still. They made no move to attack and I wasn't going to be rash. If this plan was going to work, I had to catch them both in a genjutsu and keep them distracted for as long as possible. I didn't necessarily want to kill them, but I would if it was the only option left.

The three of us stood there, watching each other, waiting for one of us to make a move. The rain still fell at an insane rate, and thunder boomed so loud it felt like the ground shook. Lightning zinged through the skies, sending flashes of light through the woods in the darkness of the storm. Tension grew so thick it was almost palpable. I knew as soon as one of us struck, it would determine who would lose and who would win. I cleared my head of my inner worry for the team as they made their way to safety. I couldn't afford to be distracted. The only thing I focused on was my breathing and the Rock shinobi.

More flashes of lightning, another loud boom of thunder. More rain pouring onto the already sodden ground. Breath in, out, in, out…

After the next boom of thunder, the Rock shinobi quickly reached into his sleeve and threw four senbon needles at me before the thunder stopped. Using the kunai, I deflected the first two needles and stepped out of the way of the other two. As I took my step sideways, the other ninja threw more at me. While dodging those, one scraped the side of my neck before slicing its way through the air behind me. Grabbing the kunai in my teeth, I cast a genjutsu on the two before they could jump away into the trees, or disappear into the ground.

Frozen in the genjustu, I could feel the two trying to send their chakra in bursts from their body trying to break themselves free.

"Good luck," I smirked at them. They weren't breaking out until I wanted them to. Or I ran out of chakra. Or killed them. Whichever came first. Since I didn't have much chakra, I couldn't create some elaborate illusion for them. I could only trap them in a replica of the space around us inside their minds.

"Release!" they kept trying, holding their hands together in the jutsu.

Idiots.

Suddenly, my vision flickered, becoming blurry for a moment. _What the heck?_

The Rock shinobi stopped trying to break the genjutsu, as I fell onto one of my knees.

"Oh, good. The poison's finally working its way through your system," the one grinned at me. The illusion blurred slightly, and I shook my head making it seemingly normal again. I had to keep the genjutsu going. Even if they didn't go after Kazuhiko and the others, I wanted to make sure they were far away by the time my chakra gave out. These shinobi were only after me right? Maybe they'd let the others go. But just in case they decided to go after the others, I focused my remaining chakra to keep them trapped. My lungs burned as if I couldn't get enough oxygen through them no matter how hard or deeply I breathed. I could feel parts of my body becoming numb slowly, and I fell onto my other knee.

"We'll see what gives out first," the Rock shinobi taunted in the jutsu. "Your body, or your chakra. Either way, we win."

* * *

Kazuhiko panted as he ran for everything he was worth. He hated leaving Kiyoko behind, but he understood it. It was the only way to ensure even one of them survived. It didn't mean he had to be happy with the decision.

"You better make it back alive, Kiyoko," he mumbled to himself. They had just truly became friends, a real team, and then this happened. Kazuhiko could tell that Kiyoko was far more experienced than Makoto or himself when it came to battle. She could already use her chakra to hang on the trees, and her fast acting judgment when the kunai flew into the cave was remarkable for someone who was only a genin. Kazuhiko had barely noticed the sparking knife as it flew into the cave before he was yanked outside. Kiyoko reacted to battle like she had been doing so for years.

The only thing Kazuhiko could do was provide some back up for his team. Thankfully, his mother who was a medical ninja, had taught him some of the basics of healing and providing medical assistance. Granted, he still had a very long way, but Makoto would have been dead had he not known how to do simple healing. Looking down at her as he ran, he noticed she was growing sickeningly pale. A stark contrast from the blood that she was covered in. Sensei wasn't much better. Even though he was physically okay on the outside, Kazuhiko feared whatever poison the enemy had would kill him. At least, if his labored breathing and sporadic heartbeat were any indication.

He growled in his throat, wishing he knew more about medical jutsus and poisons and antidotes, and anything that would be helpful right about now.

He kept running, heading for the village. He knew that they were a long way from the actual village, but maybe he would run into a small village that had a doctor. There was no way he could make it back to the village before his body would give out. He could already feel his muscles growing tight with over exertion.

His knee gave out, causing him to fall. Managing to roll underneath Makoto, he slid across the ground. The clone jumped back to him, but vanished a few seconds later. He was out of chakra. Perfect, what was he going to do now? He could barely stand, and even though he was strong, there was no way that he could carry Makoto and Sensei alone by himself. Makoto groaned quietly, and panic slowly started to take over. He knew he was supposed to remain calm, but how was he supposed to keep calm when his friends were dying and there was nothing he could do to save them?

* * *

After about two more minutes of casting the genjutsu, I felt it break, freeing the Rock shinobi. I fell onto my other knee and hands, dropping the kunai from my mouth. My hands slid out from under me, leaving me laying in the thick mud on my side, rain still pouring down. I couldn't feel it fall against my skin; I couldn't really feel anything anymore. I was going to die here.

That thought came calmly enough, but when the Rock shinobi came towards me, one step at a time, something in me decided I didn't want to die. What sane person wanted death over life?

"Should we kill her and bring her body back, or keep her alive?" one of the Rock shinobi asked the other. I didn't have the energy to turn my head to see which was talking. I didn't really care. I was too busy trying to find a way out of this alive. It seemed impossible though, I couldn't move at all, and I could feel my body trying to welcome unconsciousness. Maybe they would leave me alive long enough to gain some strength.

The sound of the storm started to blend into a dull roar. The ground around me was littered with glistening kunai sticking up from the ground, looking like some twisted metal flower garden. There was a circle around me where the kunai had bounced off of Kazuhiko's earth dome. My lungs started to become harder to fill with air than before. Basic motor skills failed me due to the poison. Panic set in as I realized death was near. The ninja wouldn't even have to try hard at all. A child could kill me, and I was powerless to stop it from happening.

_Step. _

They were about five feet from me. Maybe. My hearing was still dulled.

_Step. Step._

I held my breath, heartbeat going crazy.

I could sense them right behind me; I was sure they had weapons at the ready.

Something sharp pierced through one of my calves, hitting bone. Well, if I could move to escape, I definitely couldn't now. I screamed, the high pitched sound reverberating with the thunder. The sharp weapon was pulled from my leg roughly.

The mud shifted as they moved their weight to strike again. Only, instead of feeling more pain, I heard a slight pinging sound as the two Rock shinobi jumped backwards. _What, or who, was it now? _ I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to vanish and appear somewhere else but there.


	21. Chapter 21

Hey again. If there are any grammatical/spelling errors, my bad. Let me know and I will fix them when I can! Also, a big thanks to renoa-hime for helping me out! It's appreciated! As well as the others who have clicked the follow/favorite button, you guys are the best! I'd like feedback from you guys too if you get the time. I'd like to know what people like about it, dislike about it, ideas on what's going to happen, or something you'd like to see happen...ect. It'd be great and get me back in the writing mood again! Anyway, here ya go! Hope you like it!

Chapter 21 Home

There was a few seconds where everything seemed to pause. Then something warm touched my arm and was gone just as quickly. Then I was flipped onto my back.

"She has a Leaf headband, sensei," a girl's voice stated.

_Huh?_

"Then do not worry, young one. We will protect you!" a boy's voice interrupted.

I opened my eyes to see a girl with a pink, sleeveless shirt and dark greenish pants; a boy with a green, flexible body suit; and another boy with dark pants, and a white shirt. They were all standing in front of me in a half circle, facing the Rock shinobi. Each had their own fighting stance ready to attack or defend. I could sense another person behind me, but I assumed it was who the girl had called "sensei".

I let my head fall to the side so I could see the Rock shinobi. My vision was getting blurry and I was still trying to breathe correctly.

The two Rock shinobi glanced at each other and threw a kunai at the newcomers. The girl pulled out a scroll, unrolling it quickly, and sending a dozen projectile weapons at the Rock ninja. Jumping back effortlessly, the Rock ninja exchanged looks and then nodded at each other, disappearing into the mud again. They were finally gone. I tried to let out a sigh but it came out broken and sounded like a cough.

"Hey, don't try to move alright?" the girl told me, holding me up into a sitting position. "What happened to you? What are you doing out here all alone?"

The fourth person of their group walked in front of me. He was older than the three that protected me. I noticed he had the same green suit that the boy had on, and a green vest. _Must be another Jonin, _I thought_. _He bent down to get a closer look at me.

"You…have to find…Kazuhiko and the others…" I tried saying in between inhaling shallow breaths. "They…escaped…"

"Say no more! We will find your comrades. Right, Guy Sensei?" the young boy asked the older man, standing straight at attention.

"Right, Lee! Ten Ten, carry that girl. Neji, see if you can spot her team. Let's move quickly!" their sensei said, giving his orders.

"Right!" all three of them said simultaneously, the one in the green suit saluted him.

The girl picked me up on her back and then we were off, flying through the trees. My vision faded into a complete blurry mess, until all I could see were general shades of green and brown from the dense forest. My body was going numb, and after a few minutes, I lost consciousness.

* * *

Kazuhiko sensed four people headed his way quickly. Dread filled his belly as he thought what happened to Kiyoko. Surely she was defeated and probably dead, and now the Rock ninja were after him and his two remaining teammates. Both of which were still knocked out cold, and near death. Tears pricked at his eyes, revealing how scared and angry and hopeless he felt.

_They're almost here, _he thought, looking up into the trees. The storm had let up a tiny bit; it was no longer thundering every few seconds, but it was still pouring rain. His face scrunching up in anger, he yanked one of his last few remaining kunai from his leg pouch in one quick motion, and held it in front of him, standing in front of his teammates. He'd protect them until he no longer could. He couldn't let Kiyoko's sacrifice be for nothing!

Four ninja reached a nearby tree limb and jumped towards him quickly. Kazuhiko threw his kunai at the biggest one first, hoping for the best.

"Wait!" one of them shouted.

Kazuhiko didn't have time to try and figure which one shouted before he grabbed his last kunai from his bag and took a defensive stance. Four against one was horrible odds in his favor, so he needed to proceed with caution and use his head.

"Wait a minute, kid," one of the boys told him, eyeing him with eerie white eyes that seemed to look into him.

"Yeah, we found this girl back in the forest, she's your teammate right?" the girl asked, turning a bit to reveal the girl she was carrying.

Kazuhiko's grip loosened on the kunai as he recognized Kiyoko's hair and clothing. He was so wound up and exhausted he didn't even look at the people before he attacked. Sparing a quick look at the other four, he realized they were all Leaf shinobi. He remembered the sensei in green vaguely, seeing him throughout the village usually doing some crazy physical training.

He let the kunai slip through his hand as he plopped onto his knees. "Is she… she…?" he asked, stuttering over the word _dead. _

"No, but she needs medical attention soon," the girl told him.

He exhaled quickly in relief. Then he turned to Makoto and Hisoka Sensei. "They do to, I tried to heal them but I couldn't. I couldn't do anything for them."

The sensei Kazuhiko believed was named Guy, went over to Hisoka sensei and pulled him up onto his back carefully. Then he looked back at the three of his students. "Lee, grab this girl, but be careful with her. She is still injured." Then Guy Sensei looked at Kazuhiko. "You did good, and don't worry. We'll get them back to the village as quick as we can! On my honor as Kakashi's rival, I will get you all back in the blink of an eye!" He declared, giving a thumbs up. Kazuhiko could've swore Guy's teeth shined a little as he grinned at everyone.

"Yes, Guy Sensei!" the one called Lee said, running over to grab Makoto. The other boy, the one with the eerie eyes, walked over to Kazuhiko.

"Are you strong enough to return to the village on your own?" he asked.

Kazuhiko nodded, relief flooding through him at the help they were getting. Then he thought of something… "How are we going to get back to the village in time to administer medical attention in time?"

Guy Sensei , Lee, and the girl stood, legs bent and ready to jump. "Now, full speed ahead! I don't want to see anyone stop until we reach the village. The last one arriving has to do three hundred laps around the village!" Guy sensei declared as they all disappeared into the trees, almost too quickly for Kazuhiko to see. Kazuhiko jumped into the trees a second after they did. He couldn't keep up with the others no matter how hard he pushed himself, so he slowly started lagging behind the others. He didn't care much though, the quicker the others could make it back to the village, the better. Kazuhiko noticed the boy with the eerie eyes, who he discovered had the Byakugan, had slowed down to stay in between his group and Kazuhiko. The boy kept looking back every once in a while to make sure he was still following.

True to Guy Sensei's word, they made it back to the village in almost no time flat.

* * *

The sound of rain hitting the roof woke me up. Trying to sit up, pain shot up my leg and I fell backwards. Looking around I noticed I was in a hospital room, laying in a bed.

Where was I? How did I get here? What happened to the Rock shinobi? Why wasn't I dead?

Then I vaguely recalled the other Leaf shinobi team saving me, but bits and pieces were fuzzy, like I was trying to remember a fleeting dream. Looking out of the large window to my right, I noticed the landscape of the village. I was back?

_Where was everyone else? _

I froze at the thought. Then, despite my left leg trying to buckle under me from pain, I darted off the bed and out of the room. I could go left or right in the hallway, and not wasting any time trying to think about which way to go, I just started heading left, opening any doors I came to. I didn't see any nurses in the hallway to ask for help so this was all I could do at the moment.

I got a few shocked looks as I ripped the doors I came to open, and shut them just as fast after not seeing my team. _Where were they? Where were they? _I thought, panicked. I hoped that the other Leaf team had found them in the woods, and not brought me back alone. I wrenched a few more doors open before I found a room with Makoto lying in a bed similar to the one I was in.

"Makoto!" I nearly shouted, as I hobbled my way to her bed. She had a small curtain pulled a bit around her, and I flung it to the side, nearly running into Kazuhiko. He was sitting on a small stool next to her bed. He looked up at me, completely shocked that I just appeared. Makoto looked up, surprised too, but happy at seeing me.

"Kiyoko, you're alright!" he said, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

I was breathing a bit heavily due to me pushing my body, and I remembered I had been poisoned too. Not that I cared much, I would've ran down here regardless of the poison or not. "Kazuhiko, Makoto, you guys are alright," I said slowly, letting it sink in. They were here, and they were safe.

"Of course we are," Makoto smiled at me. "It'll take more than a little stab wound to take me out." Then her lips pursed a bit, "Although, I did come pretty close to kicking the bucket. I'd like to not repeat that ever again…" Then she perked back up. "That just means we'll have to get stronger as a team!"

Kazuhiko and I nodded at her. "Where's Hisoka Sensei?" I asked, looking at the empty bed to my left near the window. I remembered he was in fairly bad shape himself the last time I saw him.

Makoto looked at Kazuhiko, and Kazuhiko sighed. "He's still recovering. He's been in critical condition for the past couple days since we arrived. He finally pulled through enough to not be in any life threatening danger, but he does need to be watched carefully. The nurses said he should be fine pretty soon though," he explained.

I nodded, "Can we go see him?"

Makoto and Kazuhiko shook their heads. "We've tried," Makoto told me. "They told us to wait until they know for sure that he'll be completely fine. Which I guess I understand, but it's still killing me. I want to see him, ya know?"

I silently nodded again, pulling another chair from across the room to sit. Sharp, shooting pains were zinging up and down my leg like lightning.

"So that should totally count as more than a C-rank mission, right?" Makoto asked.

Kazuhiko laughed, and I chuckled quietly. I couldn't believe I had people I actually cared about now. Sure, I may not be popular or even less socially awkward than I was before, but I did have a select few I cared about. And somehow, I was okay with that. It was much better than being alone like I had been previously. I didn't think I could ever feel like home somewhere, but the Hidden Leaf village had begun to feel like what I thought a home would feel like. I sent a mental thank you to no one in particular, for my new friends.

"Oh yeah, Kiyoko," Kazuhiko said to me. "Nice reflexes when those kunai were flying through the cave. That was amazing!"

I cocked my head to the side at his words. I didn't think I had ever been complimented before. I felt my face grow warm, embarrassed by the sudden praise.

"Of course she's amazing, she's my friend after all," Makoto said coolly. "I don't pick un-amazing friends." But then she leaned forwards towards me, excited. "But seriously, Kiyoko, that was awesome! I didn't know what was happening before you already had both of us out of the cave!"

"Well.." I said, quietly, rubbing the back of my neck as I looked down. "It wasn't all that."

"Humility doesn't suit you, Kiyoko. What you did was great," Makoto continued.

"Yeah," Kazuhiko agreed. Then his face got serious. "You're stronger than a newly graduated genin aren't you?"

My lips pressed into a line. I guess there was no point in denying it and trying to lie. Besides, lying wasn't really my style. I settled for a simple nod as I looked at him.

"I knew there was something about you," Makoto said to me, smiling still. "Either way, strong or not, we still make an awesome team. Right?"

Kazuhiko nodded, smiling at us. Makoto put her hand out like Kazuhiko had done in the cave. Kazuhiko put his hand in, and both of them looked at me expectantly. I was still embarrassed at the praise and declarations of friendship, but I was secretly glad I had them as friends. I didn't know what I'd do without them. I may have been stronger than them, but they were far more advanced than me in many ways. _Maybe, just maybe, I'd be like them someday_, I thought, smiling a bit and putting my hand out next to theirs.

Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open. Two ANBU ninja stepped through the door, masks covering their faces still. I couldn't see their eyes, but I could feel their gazes on me. My stomach dropped as I stood up alert, and realized they were here for me for whatever reason.

"Kiyoko Kurama, by orders from Lady Hokage, you are to be apprehended and put into isolation," one of them said shortly and demandingly.

Kazuhiko stood up slowly, pushing the stool back a bit as he stood.

"What?" Makoto demanded, sitting up quickly, then wincing as she put her hand on her stomach. "That's crazy! What for?"

"She is a potential danger to the village. Until further notice, she is not to have any contact with anyone. Anyone who interferes will answer to Lady Hokage," one of the ANBU responded. They took three steps towards me. I contemplated running and jumping through the window, but I was in too much shock to actually move. Did they say a danger to the village?

The ANBU grabbed my arms behind me and walked me out of the hospital room. I shook my head at Kazuhiko as he stepped after us as we left. He stopped and his hands clenched into fists. Makoto's face was a mixture between pure shock and anger on my behalf.

What did they mean I was a potential threat to the village? I wouldn't hurt anyone. Well, unless they attacked me first, but even then, I didn't think I'd hurt anyone in the village. It was my home now, and now that comforting thought was gone and I didn't know what to think. My home had just taken me prisoner. Surely this was a mistake. It had to be. I would talk to the Hokage at some point and ask her what was going on. Then I could convince her I wasn't a threat to the village.

That would work… wouldn't it?


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22 Isolation

The "isolation" they put me in was a small jail cell with three concrete walls and a wall of metal bars. The ANBU had led me down a couple flights of stairs so I was underground somewhere. There was a short hallway after the second flight of stairs and my cell was on the right wall of the hallway. I tried asking them questions about what I was being accused of, but they only responded with silence. After pushing me into the cell, they locked it and turned around to walk back down the hallway and the stairs.

Out of curiosity, I tugged on the bars half-heartedly. They were sturdy, and I thought I had sensed some chakra in them, like they had been reinforced with a jutsu. I guess they thought I'd try to break out and escape or something. Not that I would, that would only make me look guilty of whatever they thought I did or would do.

_She is a potential danger to the village… _

That's what they had told Makoto about me. I put my back against the back wall and slid down until I was sitting down with my knees drawn up close to my body.

How was I dangerous? I wasn't dangerous to the village before I left for the mission. What made them think I'd be a danger after coming back? Especially since I almost died. I sat there for a long time, trying to figure out what was going on. There was no clock and no window, so I had no idea how much time had passed. All I could think about was trying to get over my initial shock and figure this out, but no matter what I came up with, nothing seemed to fit. I guess I really would have to talk with the Hokage. If I could get her to come and talk to me.

* * *

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but I had fallen asleep at some point and woke up lying with my back to the wall. A chill crept its way through my body from the concrete and I shivered slightly. I didn't have a jacket when they took me, so I ran my hands up and down my arms.

I was greeted with more silence as I went up to the bars to try and look down the hallway. The stairs were a bit out of my line of sight, but I could see down the hallway a bit.

"Hello? Anyone?" I called out, hoping someone was nearby and I could talk to someone.

No answer. Just more silence. Finally, after calling out a couple more times to no one, I went back and sat down against the wall, wondering what my team was doing. If I knew Makoto, she was probably throwing a fit at anyone who made the mistake of going around her. Kazuhiko would probably be trying to calm her down. I really hoped Hisoka Sensei was healing and doing better. I was sure the medical ninja were doing their best to help him.

Hours more of silence greeted me before I heard someone headed down the stairs towards me. At least, I think it was hours. I stood up, waiting to see who it would be. More ANBU? The Hokage? My parents maybe?

Two men walked down the hallway. The one was very intimidating with his long trench coat, black bandana on his head, and scars on his face. He had his hands in his pockets like he was taking a stroll through the village. The other had blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and spiky on top where his headband wrapped around his head. They both looked so serious. They stopped right outside of the bars.

"Kiyoko Kurama?" the one with the scars asked tersely.

I nodded. He scared me a bit.

"We are going to escort you somewhere for a bit, do not resist," the blonde one said seemingly polite.

"Or you can resist, we were told to skip past the physical torture part of the interrogation, but I will happily go back to it," the big one said, an almost sadistic smile on his face, hands still in his pockets.

_Interrogation?_

I just nodded, wanting no part in whatever physical torture they had in mind. What the heck did I do that warranted torture and an interrogation? I just waited for them to open the door on the bars to let me out before walking slowly towards it. Not wanting to give them a reason to attack me or make them think I'd attack them, I walked calmly and slowly. No doubt these two would kill me if necessary.

They lead me down a few more corridors after we ascended the stairs again. We reached a room with some weird, round machine thing off to the side. There were wires and tubes hooked up to several places, looking very complicated. A hole was at the top of the smooth rounded part of the machine. What the heck was this thing?

The blonde man lead me up to the machine and showed me how to fit inside it with my head sticking out from the hole in the top. I tried talking to them, asking why I was here and what the machine was, but I only got cold looks that told me it would be better if I kept my mouth shut.

I was starting to get nervous. Movement was nearly impossible in this machine. What were they going to do to me? They didn't offer me any explanations or words at all, and I said nothing in return. I wasn't sure what I'd say anyway. I didn't think they'd answer any of my questions. They were here to get information from me, not give me information.

Suddenly, the blonde man put his hand across my forehead, pushing my long bangs into my eyes uncomfortably. As I tried to blow them away from my face, I felt his jutsu activate. I could feel him inside my mind. It felt…very odd. Like something was pushing against my mind that wasn't supposed to. It wasn't quite painful, but it was very unpleasantly odd. The jutsu sent me into a barely conscious state. It almost felt like my body was trying to fall asleep, but was stuck in those few moments where I was still barely conscious of the area around me.

I could feel him shift through my mind, and I felt a mild outrage at this jutsu. It was very intrusive. Some small part of me almost felt violated. I would've told them anything they needed to know without having to do all of this. Then again, I guess if they suspected me of being a danger they couldn't just take my word for it.

A sudden white hot pain shot through my head. I think I heard myself groan at the pain. After a few seconds, I felt it again only worse this time. I may have shouted a little, but I couldn't tell. My senses were getting dulled as the man delved further into my mind. Another stabbing pain sliced through my head, and I tried to jerk my head away from the man. It didn't do any good though, there was nowhere for me to move.

"There are some kind of blocks in her mind," I thought I heard the man say. It sounded like he was talking at a distance, through a long empty hallway. His voice echoed slightly in my ears.

"Keep trying, Inoichi. We need information," the other guy said to him.

There was more pain as he tried to work through the "blocks". After about ten more stabbing sensations, my eyes teared up, and I think I may have started screaming. It felt like someone was taking a sharp axe to my head and hacking away at my brain from the inside.

_Stop…stop it!… _I chanted and screamed in my head desperately.

I tried begging them to stop, but I couldn't form any words from the pain. Tears started rolling down through the man's palm on my forehead and down my cheeks. My head started thrashing side to side as the man pushed at my mind some more.

_I thought they said they weren't going to torture me…_

After about another eternity long minute, and another mental axe to my head, my body thankfully surrendered to blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

When I regained consciousness, I was back in my small cell. My head was still sending sharp pains through my skull like I had an intense version of a migraine. I moved my body slowly, trying to see if they did actually torture me. Not feeling anything wrong or painful (except my head), I pushed myself up into a sitting position. There was a small overhead light in the hallway that hurt my eyes to look at. I just sat there with my head on my knees, and my arms wrapped around my head to block the light.

I couldn't even think without my brain hurting, so I tried to focus on a spot on my leg and not think for a while.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but after a while of zoning out into a mental oblivion, my head had slowly stopped hurting. When I looked up again there was a small glass of water and two small rice balls on a plate, lying on the floor near the bars of the cell. I didn't even try to move from fear my head would explode into pain again.

All I could do was stare blankly, not really focusing on anything until I felt back to normal, and only had a slight throbbing headache near my temples.

Hearing more footsteps coming down the stairs to the hallway, I cursed my luck and prayed it wasn't the two men again. I could deal with anything but that again. I could tell there were more than one person heading down the hallway. The footsteps got closer and closer, my anxiety growing with each step. _Who was it now? Couldn't I catch a break?_


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23 Revelations

The footsteps were the Hokage's, followed by three ANBU ninja. She stopped in front of the bars and looked at me, watching me carefully. Thank God, not the two men again.

"Lady Hokage," I greeted quietly, my throat a bit scratchy from screaming. I sat there and watched her. She was silent for a while, just watching me. Finally, I asked her, "Could you tell me why I'm in here?"

She was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Kiyoko, do you know about the side effects of your kekkei genkai?"

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"I thought so," Lady Hokage sighed again. She turned to look at the two ANBU behind her and motioned forward. The two ANBU took their masks off, revealing my parents. I looked at my parents in shock. They had actually come to see me. My mother stood there, her face full of concern I've never seen before. My father looked at me with sad pity in his eyes, something else I had never seen from them. They were looking at me like other parents looked at their children: Like they cared. It was strange.

"Kiyoko, do you know how I've told you to refrain from using the kekkei genkai?" my mother asked me. She seemed so… sweet. It was off putting.

Slowly, confused, I nodded my head slowly, wondering where this was going. Did my kekkei genkai have something to do with why I was in a cell? If so, my mother had it too, why wasn't she put in one too? I forgot about the slight throbbing in my mind and focused on them.

"There is an unfortunate side effect, a curse as some called it, as a result of our kekkei genkai," she continued. "The ability creates an unbalance in the mind of the jutsu bearer, causing them to go mad and… creating an alternate ego, if you will. One that likes to kill and cause destruction…" She then proceeded to tell me how each person was affected differently.

"What does all this have to do with me being locked up and tortured?" I asked outright. I wasn't crazy and killing people and causing destruction everywhere I went.

My mother went to say something but Lady Hokage spoke before she could. "Kiyoko, how did you get injured a few days ago?"

My eyes instantly went to my parents and stayed there. I didn't answer, but when the Hokage looked at my parents, I think she knew.

"I already know what they did, Kiyoko," Lady Hokage explained.

I froze and blinked a couple times, thinking I heard her wrong. She _knew _my parents had beat me that bad, and did nothing about it? What kind of leader was that?

"You seem to think we did it on purpose, Kiyoko. That we intentionally hurt you," my father said, filling the sudden tense silence.

"The madness, the alternate ego took control of you for a bit… We had to restrain you from hurting yourself or someone else," my mother chimed in, her hands clenching into loose fists.

I shook my head. "That's not what happened…" I said slowly, trying to wrap my head around what they were saying. That was a lie. I didn't go mad. They did.

"You've done it a couple times before, you just don't remember. You seem to believe we'd intentionally hurt you or punish you somehow for misbehaving or something. But those are the times when we'd have to stop you. Your memories are fake ones you've made up to not remember the destruction you've caused, the lives you've taken," my mother continued. I swear I saw her eyes tear up slightly.

"That's not what happened, and you know it," I managed to say quietly, still confused.

"You're just in denial about it Kiyoko," my father said.

I stood there, looking at my parents, at Lady Hokage. They were all giving me those looks of pity and sympathy. "I'm not in denial, and I'm not crazy," I said quietly, still trying to absorb the situation. "If I was "mad" and go into these rages, do you think I'd sit in this cell quietly? Try not to escape those men that practically tortured me? I've been in the village for a couple weeks and I haven't harmed anyone, I haven't destroyed anything. It doesn't make any sense." They were the crazy ones for thinking I was crazy.

The ANBU whispered something to Lady Hokage, then backed up a respectful step.

"The ANBU discovered seven bodies near the outskirts of the village days ago. Most of them were unharmed, but dead regardless," she told me, still looking at me closely. "The official diagnosis was that they all had heart attacks." She paused for a second. "That's an extremely odd coincidence that six people had a heart attack and were buried along with an injured seventh person in the middle of the woods. Killing without actually harming the body is only something few ninja could do with a unique set of skills. Do you know anything about those, Kiyoko?"

What was she-

I was trying to think as my head started pounding again slowly…

The assassins! The ones that followed me into the woods, and were convinced that I had…destroyed…

"You do know about them," Lady Hokage said under her breath. She seemed disappointed, like she was hoping she was wrong.

"Y-yes," I stuttered, my brain trying to think ahead and backwards to the past, and trying to focus on too many things at once. "They had ambushed me in the forest. I tried to tell them to leave, but they wouldn't listen. They attacked me, it was them or me-"

"And you killed them," Lady Hokage finished, interrupting.

I nodded, "But that's different. I didn't go crazy, I just defended myself."

"Then why didn't you just incapacitate them and tell me they were here?" Lady Hokage asked.

_Because I didn't think of that at the time…_

_ Oh crap…_

This looked really bad. But I really hadn't gone crazy! I was in full control the entire time. I could remember all the details of it. Surely if I went mad, then some of the details would be fuzzy right?

I didn't do it. I didn't ever go crazy. I haven't killed people, at least people who weren't trying to attack me first. I didn't destroy villages.

I didn't…

_Did I?_

No! I would know it, regardless of what stories my parents told me. If it was true, why hadn't they told me before? Why bring me into a village at all? Why not seclude me somewhere?

_But it would explain the assassins… _They were clearly after me.

No…

"I can tell this is distressing news for you," my mother said.

My father turned to Lady Hokage. "Can we have a minute with her, please?"

Lady Hokage looked at them and me, then nodded. "The ANBU will be at the top of the stairs in case anything goes wrong. I have to go to a meeting, so I will get back with you two later. I have some other questions for you." Then she sent me one last look and walked down the hallway and up the stairs, the last ANBU following her.

Well, even if I thought about an escape, it'd be impossible now. Not only was I not in top condition, I'd have to make it past my parents, and then the only other way out was that ANBU at the top of the stairs. And then every other ninja in the village if I somehow managed to get past the stairs. Escaping was pointless. They would have shinobi with ways to counteract my genjutsu, and I couldn't outfight countless ninja. Plus, running would make me look guilty, and I was _not _ guilty of being secretly crazy.

"Kiyoko," my mother said quietly. "I know this is hard, but it's just something our clan has to live with…" she said, while opening my door and stepping inside. My father stayed on the outside of the door.

"Stay away from me you liar!" I snarled, holding my head as the pounding came back, making me feel almost sick to my stomach.

"We're not lying Kiyoko," Mother said again, crouching down to my level on the floor.

"Then why aren't you crazy yet?" I demanded, sliding as far away from her as I could.

"I'm one of the ones who isn't affected by it badly, but sooner or later it will catch up to me," she continued, talking quietly, like I was a frightened animal.

"Stay away from me! Just go away!" My heart was pounding quickly like my head was. My chest heaved with the quick breaths I was taking. What was happening to me? Some shapeless fear took hold of me, and I tried to calm myself down. But no matter how much I tried, the only thing I could think about in the back of my mind was: _I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy…_

Part of me, a small part, knew that saying I wasn't crazy so many times, was an almost surefire sign that I was losing it, but it didn't stop my mind from chanting it in denial. Was this the madness they spoke of? But why would it strike me now?

I heard my mother say something, then I thought I heard my father say something back. I was looking away from them, down at my hands as I sat against the concrete wall furthest back in the cell. Sweat popped out on my skin, and I started to tremble slightly. What was going on with me? Was I still poisoned somehow?

An arm appeared in my line of vision and tried to grab me. Panicking that my mother was trying to grab me, I grabbed her arm and threw her back away from me and against the bars without looking. I didn't want my mother grabbing me, I didn't want her near me. At my mother and father's gasp, I looked up quickly. There was a tall, skinny woman in a white medical ninja coat on who was laying against the bars of the cell. Her long light brown hair looked disheveled, and she looked frightened of me.

_Oh crap, it wasn't my mother…_

"I…I didn't…I'm…" I tried to say, but the words wouldn't come out. I had just hurt someone innocent of doing nothing but trying to check on me. That's what my mother and father were talking to, this lady nurse. I hadn't heard her coming down the stairs over the own pounding in my head. Even now, I could hear my pulse pounding like a drum in my ears.

The lady got up quickly and darted out of the cell without a glance back at me.

I reached out my hand after her, as if that would stop her from fleeing. I hadn't mean to hurt her. Really…

I went gradually numb, mentally and physically. After trying to talk to me, and me not responding, my parents left, shutting the door to the cell. I just sat there.

_Was this the madness?_


	24. Chapter 24

Hey everyone! The writing muses struck again! I've been typing like the wind, trying to get everything ready for the next few chapters. I usually try to post a few chapters at a time so there's more to read. Anyway, hope you guys like it again! Well, I guess if you've read it up to this point, it's probably safe to say you like the story *happy smile*. Here you go! Please leave a review or tell me about any grammatical/spelling errors you find and I shall fix them!

Chapter 24 Broken

A couple more days passed as I sat alone in the silence in my cell. My parents hadn't come to talk to me again. Those two men hadn't come back. There was no one but me and my thoughts. Thoughts that kept trying to figure out if I really was losing it. Part of me denied it, knowing it was a lie. The other part questioned whether or not I was crazy. The more I thought about it, the more my faith in myself started crumble slowly. That was the worst part.

There were times when I was younger and my memory got fuzzy or I couldn't remember anything, but that was normal right? People just weren't supposed to remember everything from their childhood. Those memories get replaced and pushed back by new ones, so it wasn't out of the ordinary, right? Or were they fuzzy because of the madness?

After agonizing over which it was, I realized I was starting to go in circles, so I tried to take an outsider's look on my situation. My insisting I wasn't crazy was probably not a good sign for my mental health in general. But if it was true and I had lost my sanity already…

Maybe I was over thinking this way too far… Trying to grasp at straws for my sanity. What if I couldn't deal with the fact if I was crazy…? What would happen to me then?

The more I thought about it, ironically, the more I went crazy over the problem. Me going crazy over the problem in general probably didn't help me if I was either sane or crazy. After a while, I just numbed myself, trying not to think at all. I tried to think of Team 14 and how everyone was doing. Were they worried about me? I was worried about me. I wondered about Kazuhiko's cat and if he still had the small creature. If I remembered correctly, it's name was Suko. I wondered about Makoto and her family, and how Keiichi was. Playing around with the kid may not be the biggest highlight of my life, but I'd happily run around and chase him every day if it meant I could get out of the cell. I wondered about Hisoka Sensei and if he was up and healthy finally. If something happened to him, surely someone would come and deliver the news to me. Especially Makoto, she'd want to tell me in person for sure.

Endless time passed with me trying to distract myself. I normally preferred the silence, but I didn't prefer it if it was forced upon me. I'd welcome those two scary men at this point to have something else to hear besides my thoughts.

I stood up and stretched, then started doing simple exercises trying to focus on something. I did squats, sit ups, and then some pushups. After that, I just paced in circles with all the restless energy I had.

The sound of the door at the top of the stairs opening sounded like heaven. Someone had come to see me! I quit pacing and listening, making sure I wasn't making the noises up in my head. Sure enough, after a few seconds, a couple pairs of steps made their way down the stairs. I walked closer to the bars, trying to get a peek out into the hallway. Much to my dismay, I couldn't see very far.

As the footsteps grew closer, I broke into a smile when I saw who it was.

Makoto and Kazuhiko had come and visited me!

I'd never thought I'd be so glad for something so trivial in my life.

"What are you guys doing down here?" I asked. "You didn't sneak down here did you?" I was extremely grateful that they came to see me, but I didn't want them to get into trouble for me.

Kazuhiko shook his head, "No, but she wanted to, trust me."

"Well, yea," Makoto said, a slight smile on her face. "You've been down here for about four days now."

_Four days?! That was it? _

At my look of surprise, Makoto continued speaking. "Yeah, everyone's already healed and out of the hospital. Well, Sensei still needs to have a couple check-ups here and there but he's back at his house, wherever that is."

I sighed in relief. They were all okay and made it alright after their close brushes with death.

"That's good," I said. "Anything new while I've been in here? They tell me I'm crazy but I think being stuck inside this cell is legitimately making me crazy," I chuckled non-humorously. Isolation had made me chatty apparently.

Makoto and Kazuhiko shared a look, and I narrowed my eyes at them. "What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

"Well…" Kazuhiko started awkwardly. He reached up and scratched his head, procrastinating. Even Makoto shuffled her foot along the floor quietly.

My mind tried to figure out and guess what had happened that they would be hesitant to tell me. They said Team 14 was alright. Was someone in their families not alright? I assumed, if there was any bad new they didn't want to tell me, that something was wrong with Makoto's family as I didn't know Kazuhiko's at all. Not that I wouldn't feel sad for him either way.

"Well what? Come on, tell me," I pleaded. I just wanted them to talk to me.

"Well…" Makoto repeated. "It's about the team…"

My head slanted to the side as I became more confused. "What about the team?"

More silence. Then Makoto sighed, and blurted "You're not a part of it anymore. You've been kicked off."

I froze from shock. I just stood there, waiting for her words to sink in all the way.

I had…been kicked off… of Team 14…

"Why?" I asked after about five seconds of silence. They didn't respond. They wouldn't even look at me directly. "Why?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes.

"You're in here, you're a basically a criminal, a danger, so there's no way they'll just let you out of here. And even if they do, there's no guarantee that somewhere down the road that you won't go insane and start hurting people," Kazuhiko said calmly. "The only thing they'll let you do is stay in here for the rest of your life, or…"

"Kill me," I finished for him, under my breath. Then I shook my head. "But I'm not crazy! I don't want to hurt anyone!" This could not be happening. This wasn't fair!

"It doesn't matter to them. I'm sorry, Kiyoko," Kazuhiko continued. "And my parents don't like the fact that I'm friends with a criminal so I won't be able to visit you again. I had to fight them to let me come here now. You know how stubborn my father is. They say I should worry about my future and you'd just hold me back." He pursed his lips as he said that, as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"What? That's the stupidest-" I started.

"Um, actually… My parents kind of said the same thing…" Makoto added, raising her hand slightly, still not looking at me.

I felt like my heart dropped into my stomach. Her family, the same people I had kind of considered my other family, just dropped me out of their lives because I was in this cell. Because of something I didn't do. Or did. I didn't even know anymore.

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I took deep breaths trying to calm myself. How can everything remotely happy in my life get ripped from me in mere seconds, with just a couple sentences? I felt like someone had kicked me repeatedly in the stomach. I would have rather been kicked repeatedly in the stomach instead of this.

"Do you feel the same way, Makoto? Kazuhiko?" I asked, desperately wishing they'd say something to reassure me that I had friends. That I wasn't alone. That everything would be fine.

"Not really, but we can't exactly be friends anymore with you in here," Kazuhiko said, biting his inner cheek.

"We can't just come and visit you, it'd be near impossible with Lady Tsunade keeping people from seeing you. We're lucky she let us see you right now. Plus, they already kicked you off the team. You can't go on missions with us from in here," Makoto told me, each word making me feel worse and worse. Everything they said was true, but I wanted them to tell me they didn't care what other people said about them. That they didn't care I wasn't part of the team anymore. That they cared about me. That someone wanted me around.

"So what?" I asked, small tears starting to roll down my face. I didn't think they were tears of sadness, at least not completely. I felt betrayed, and angry. My "friends" were basically telling me that they didn't care about me anymore. "You guys only care about what people think of you if you're associated with me? Is that it? You wouldn't be able to live with having a friend who's basically considered a criminal?" It felt like a knife had been driven into me. My heart hurt, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I focused on breathing and not the betrayal. How many times had they told me we'd be friends no matter what? That we were part of a team? What happened to all of that? Was it all them, or their parents influencing them on their decisions? I thought about sweet little Keiichi never yelling my name wrong at me again. How I wouldn't have Makoto there to listen to, or Kazuhiko talking to me about animals or some kind of new medicinal herb he found. I'd be all alone. Again.

"We're sorry, Kiyoko," Kazuhiko said again, still chewing on his lip. He fidgeted nervously, like this was the worst situation he could ever want to be in.

"Truly we are. We wish it was different, I mean we were just getting to know each other," Makoto continued. Then she finally looked at me, tears in her eyes too. "I'm sorry I won't be able to keep my promise to you, Kiyoko." Then she turned to Kazuhiko. "Come on, Kazu. Let's go. There's nothing left to say."

He nodded and then gave me one last look before they started walking back down the hallway.

No!

"No, wait!" I yelled after them, shoving my face as close to the bars so I could see them. I reached my hand through the bars, practically dislocating my shoulder. "Makoto, please! Don't go! I'm not crazy, I promise! Please!" I yelled and pleaded after them, crying. They didn't say anything. The only response I received was their fading footsteps. I slid onto the floor, my face still pressed against the bars, my right arm hanging through the other side. "Makoto, please," I cried, trying to breathe through sobs. "Kazuhiko…"

Then I heard the door click shut. Just like that, they were gone. I don't know how long I cried there against the bars, pleading for them to come back and give me a chance. After a few minutes, I got angry and started punching and kicking the bars and the walls. After hurting my left ankle against the concrete wall, I slid down to the floor holding my ankle with both hands. I sat there, legs pulled up against my chest, my only source of comfort. The pain was nothing compared to the emotional pain I felt. I felt devastated, and furious, and desperate, and scared, and empty… I wasn't sure which one to feel first, but all of those emotions attacked me relentlessly and repeatedly.

Maybe I had gone crazy after all…

That's why they just left me in this hell of mine.

Alone.

And broken.


End file.
